Sheriff Tim Cameron will have a deputy at every public school in St. Mary’s County for the first day of school and will continue a high-visibility presence for the rest of the school year.
As more than 18,000 public school students return to school on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Deputies will be at all 28 public schools to ensure a safe and secure learning environment.
There will also be increased patrols around public and private schools in St. Mary’s County through a Safety and Security Overtime initiative. A grant has been submitted to the federal Community Oriented Policing Program and is pending approval to support continuation of this program throughout the school year.
The Adopt a School program continues between St. Mary’s County Public Schools and the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Through this partnership, deputies volunteer to adopt and work with a particular elementary school assisting students and staff with school security concerns, mentoring of students and school emergency response planning.
Cpl. Jaime Davis is the School Resource Officer for Leonardtown Middle School and Margaret Brent Middle School. DFC David Lawrence is the School Resource Officer for Esperanza Middle School and Spring Ridge Middle School.
All five School Resource Officers are also teaching the DARE program as well.
“The safety of students and children in St. Mary’s County is my first priority,” Sheriff Tim Cameron said. “The men and women of the Sheriff’s Office are conducting an all-out effort to make sure that students returning to classes feel safe on their first day of school.”
“While the Sheriff’s Office can’t sustain manning a deputy at every public school for a prolonged period of time, I want both students and their parents to feel confident that their schools are a safe and secure environment to learn in every day, throughout the school year,” the Sheriff said.
Throughout the school year, parents are also encouraged to ensure that their children do not bring any contraband items to school.
For official news and information, follow the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office on Twitter at @firstsheriff.
This release was issued in cooperation with St. Mary’s County Public Schools.
