Catawba County adds 7 school resource officers at elementary schools

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office and the Maiden Police Department have worked together to add 7 deputies and officers to their existing school resource officers.

In a release, the sheriff’s office said the two law enforcement agencies worked with Catawba County Board of Commissioners, Maiden Town Council, and Catawba County Schools to pool resources, including salaries and equipment, to make it happen.

The sheriff’s office assigned six SROs to complement the existing staff in Catawba County elementary, middle, and high schools. The Maiden Police Department assigned a SRO to Maiden Elementary School, a county school in the town of Maiden. Maiden Police Department already staffs SROs at Maiden Middle School and Maiden High School.

“This is a great example of what can happen when partners come together to address community issues through the sharing of resources,” said Sheriff Don Brown. “I want to thank the Catawba County Board of Commissioners for their dedication to school safety and for their support in the adding of these SROs. My thanks also go out to Catawba County Schools and to the town of Maiden and their police department for joining us in this important effort.”

Matt Stover, the superintendent of Catawba County Schools, echoed the sentiment and was very thankful to everyone involved.

“We are grateful to the Catawba County Board of Education and all our partners for helping to find a sustainable, collaborative way to increase the number of SROs in our schools,” Stover said. “These officers are trained to serve and protect and will be an asset to our students, staff, and community. Moving forward, we will continue to seek other resources to meet our goal of one to one in our schools in the future.”

The sheriff’s office said all of Catawba County’s law enforcement agencies will continue to work with the school districts and city and county governments to make sure schools continue to be a safe environment for children.

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