School districts to have full-time SROs

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Crestview and Lincolnview local schools are partnering with Van Wert County Sheriff Thomas Riggenbach’s office to add full-time school resource officers (SRO) at their respective schools. Starting this Monday, April 9, Deputy Mike Biberstine will serve as Lincolnview’s SRO full-time, while Deputy John Gabriel will be a full-time SRO at Crestview. Prior to this, Biberstine has been spending two days a week at each of the two schools.

The school districts will pay for salary and benefits for the deputies while they are on duty in the schools, an estimated $40,000 to $50,000 for a full school year. The deputies will also double as DARE officers, while having the officers in the district could also lead to other law enforcement-related educational opportunities.

When school is not in session, Sheriff Riggenbach said the officers, who will remain his employees, would revert to other law enforcement duties, as well as undergo additional SRO and other training.

Both the sheriff and school officials were pleased with the ability to have full-time SROs in each district.

“I think it’s a good thing for the schools, the communities, and the sheriff’s office,” Sheriff Riggenbach said. “The relationship-building piece that is involved, and being able to do that, is very valuable.”

The officers will provide safety and security functions at both school districts, working to make sure buildings are secured during school and immediately before and after, while also building better relationships with students and staff.

Sheriff Riggenbach said it was always the hope of both his office and the schools to expand the part-time SRO program into having an officer in each district five days a week while school is in session. The sheriff added that he feels the SROs will fit in well with both schools’ needs.

“They are going to be a very active resource … for the schools,” the sheriff noted. “I think we’re just going to see a lot of good things happen because of this.”

Sheriff Riggenbach said he would now be looking to add an additional deputy to maintain the office’s service load, noting that he hopes

Crestview Superintendent Mike Estes said Deputy Gabriel will be treated as a staff member, even though still under the direct control of the sheriff’s office.

“It’s just a commitment on the district’s part to hire another staff member,” said Crestview Superintendent Mike Estes. “That’s how we’ll treat officer Gabriel, as another staff member working with us in our mission to educate, protect, and serve our students.”

Lincolnview Superintendent Jeff Snyder thanked the sheriff and the county commissioners for the opportunity to, first, have a part-time officer in the schools, and now to have a full-time SRO. “There’s are a lot of things that maybe we can work on the educational side of it, and they can take care of the safety side,” he noted.

Both deputies said they were also excited to become school resource officers, with Biberstine saying he was pleased that an office will be in the schools full-time now, rather than just two days a week.

“One of the concerns I have for the last year and a half was only being there half the time, and they knew my schedule … and know we have a full-time person in both.”

Deputy Gabriel said he feels being an SRO would be an opportunity to work with staff to make the school as safe as possible.

“It’s one of my top priorities,” Gabriel said. “You guys know as well as any of us what’s been going on lately with the news (and) my goal is to keep anything from happening.”

Estes said that, while the process will likely be one of trial and error for a while until things get ironed out, everyone is excited about the opportunity to improve safety and security in the school districts.