ETV 10 News stock photo by Traci Bishop
For the past 11 years, an office of the Price City Police Department has been stationed at Mont Harmon Middle School as a school resource officer (SRO). On top of caring for the middle school, the officer would also address issues or concerns at other local schools.
According to Price City Police Department (PCPD) Captain Bill Barnes, a need was recognized for a second resource officer. From there, Price City Mayor Mike Kourianos reached out to Carbon County Sheriff Jeff Wood and requested that an officer from his department be selected to fill the position.
A meeting was hosted between Mayor Kourianos, Sheriff Wood, Price City Police Chief Kevin Drolc, Carbon School District Superintendent Lance Hatch and Captain Barnes to discuss the appointment of one of Sheriff Wood’s men. The sheriff also spoke with the Carbon County Commissioners at their meeting on Thursday regarding the potential appointment.
Sheriff Wood stated that this is an exciting opportunity for the sheriff’s office. The two officers will work hand-in-hand to ensure the safety of the students. The new officer will not only be stationed at Carbon High School, but Castle Heights Elementary as well.
Sheriff Wood stressed that this will not add resources to the sheriff’s office. The office will instead restructure and use resources that they already have. The school district will provide a portion of the officer’s wages for the year. Sheriff Wood also emphasized building a strong relationship with the Price City Police Department and the local youth.
“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Sheriff Wood stated.
The next step, pending approval, is a training that will take place in December. The selected SRO and a backup officer will be sent to the training. A modified uniform has also been created for the position that will consist of a polo-style shirt and jeans to make the officer more approachable to the students. However, the officer will still have all needed gear. The new resource officer was approved by the commissioners.
Captain Barnes stated that the PCPD is very excited for the teamwork and that the two officers will work together to split the workload amongst the other schools as needed.