Officials Are Moms at Cumberland County Sheriff's Invitation-Only Meeting on School Resource Officers

Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright's meeting with local officials about school resource officers and crossing guards took place last Thursday, but those involved remained largely silent about what happened. pass.

The meeting, held at the Law Enforcement Center on Dick Street, was not open to the public; The media and at least two elected officials were informed that they would not be able to attend. (Hope Mills Mayor Jessie Bellflowers and Spring Lake Commissioner Soña Cooper told CityView that the Sheriff's Office asked them not to come after they requested to attend.)

According to letters sent by Wright late last month and shared with CityView, the following Cumberland County officials were invited to the June 6 meeting with Wright: Hope Mills Police Chief Stephen Dollinger; Spring Lake Police Chief Errol Jarman; Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden; Cumberland County School Board President Deanna Jones; and Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly Jr.

The letters, sent to local officials on May 21, were the first notice to municipalities that Wright's office would remove school resource officers and crossing guards from a number of the county's public schools starting in July. According to the letters, the meeting was “designed to provide [officials] with additional information on how this change will work. It remains to be seen whether municipalities will take on the task of filling the 18 vacant SRO positions and 31 crossing guard positions in Fayetteville, Hope Mills and Spring Lake during an already tight budget season.

With the exception of a June 6 release from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office and responses to CityView requests from the Cumberland County School System, those with knowledge of the meeting did not allude to this which was discussed. Rickelle Harrell, a spokeswoman for the Fayetteville Police Department, declined CityView's request to speak with Braden or with Deputy Chiefs Todd Joyce and Robert Ramirez, who were present in Braden's place. Hope Mills Town Manager Chancer McLaughlin also declined CityView's request for an interview with Dollinger. Jarman did not respond to a request for comment.

“At this time, the Fayetteville Police Department has no additional information to provide,” Harrell wrote. “Please stay tuned [sic] As this matter develops, additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

The sheriff's office said in a statement released late Thursday that it would provide SROs and crossing guards for schools in Stedman, which has a police chief but no police department. For the rest, no other municipality seems to have made a definitive decision.

Lindsay Whitley, associate superintendent of communications and community engagement for Cumberland County Schools, told CityView on Wednesday that a final decision has not yet been made on what all schools will do.

“At this point, we are in the process of thoroughly evaluating all potential solutions, including third-party security options and partnerships with municipalities for SRO provisions,” Whitley wrote via email. “Our decision will be informed by ongoing discussions with law enforcement agencies and careful consideration of what best ensures the safety and well-being of our school community.”

Whitley noted that the sheriff's office has agreed to provide SROs for summer school and year-round schools in Fayetteville from July 15 to the start of the traditional school year. Wright's office will also provide SRO training through its training officers and legal advisors to any municipalities that decide to provide SROs, Whitley said.

Elsewhere in the county, the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners voted last week to conduct a feasibility study examining the cost of filling vacancies in the city's public schools. The issue of officer vacancies was recently highlighted by city Police Chief Dollinger, who said in a memo to McLaughlin that his department would not have enough officers to fill vacant SRO positions and school crossing guards.

Wright said he didn't believe his office could fulfill the terms of its contract with the school system because of staffing shortages.

“Entering into a contract would be irresponsible and reckless, knowing that we cannot fulfill it,” he said in the June 6 statement.

The release ended with a call for funding for municipalities to provide SROs and crossing guards.

“In light of this meeting, we are confident that these law enforcement agencies and the school board can work together to ensure a smooth transition to an operation in which deputies and police officers each participate. [sic] provide a safe environment for students and the public through the SRO program,” the release said. “We are not only confident in this security, but we are also confident that we can complete this transition quickly and efficiently, but we will need elected officials to provide the funding necessary to complete this task. »

In a brief statement also released last Thursday, the school system echoed this sentiment of cooperation.

“We will continue to work closely with the Sheriff’s Office and local police departments to provide a safe environment for all,” the school system’s statement said.

A request for proposals issued by the school system on June 5 indicated that unarmed private security guards could still be an option to address the vacancies problem. Proposals must be submitted by 2 p.m. on June 18, the application states, noting that funding will come from budgeted money and federal grants.

The guards would provide security during the school day and at other events such as school-sponsored extracurricular activities, sporting events and graduation ceremonies, the application states. Staff would have to complete 40 hours of training and complete 16 hours of “annual refresher training,” according to the request.

The contract with a private company would run from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2027, with the option to extend the contract for two additional one-year periods, the application states. Both parties would have the option to terminate the contract at any time with 90 days' notice.

Reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at [email protected] or 910-423-6500.

This story was made possible by contributions to the CityView News Fund, a 501(c)3 charitable organization committed to informed democracy.