Osage County To Add Three Additional School Resource Officers For 7 Schools

The Osage County Sheriff's Office is adding three new school resource officers to better protect students at seven schools in the county. 

The sheriff's office says there's been only one in the past few years, and with the county being so large, they need more. 

"Prue is quite a ways a way. I know Anderson is almost to Sand Springs, Bowring and Shidler are an hour away, Woodland is 45 minutes away, and that's from here. It just stretches them too thin; you have one person trying to cover all of that distance," Sayra Bryant, Barnsdall Superintendent, said. 

Bryant says, of course, SROs respond to emergencies, but they also do so much more. 

"Whether it's helping a family with a protective order, or helping a family at the local food bank, their job is, I guess, maybe the glue that holds it all together," he said. 

The sheriff's office will now be adding three additional SROs for seven schools in the county. 

Undersheriff Gary Upton says the partnership is possible through grant money. 

Shidler, McCord, Barnsdall, Bowring, Woodland, Prue and Osage Hills are the seven schools participating. 

"That helps us cover the whole county in a more positive way and be able to respond quicker to incidents at the schools that may happen," Upton said.

Sergeant Ryan Walker is the current SRO and tries to visit three schools a day but will go wherever is needed. 

 "I just like to have our presence there in the school to let them know, hey, we are here to help you when you need it, so you don't have to go to the point where you have to break the law or break the rules and get in trouble for it," he said. 

The kids in the county mean a lot to him. He hopes creating better relationships between kids and law enforcement will help them succeed. 

"I don't like to see kids being hurt or in trouble, and that helps me bridge that gap and help them when they are in need, and with those other three, they will be able to step in and help me carry that load," he said.

The Sheriff's Office says the goal is to have the new school resource officers trained and ready to go in December.