The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office is getting much closer to achieving its goal of a full staff of School Resource Officers.

A couple of years ago, you would only be guaranteed to see a School Resource Officer (SRO) walking the hallways of six public schools in Bedford County. All middle and high schools had a dedicated SRO, and an SRO supervisor would arrange for programming at elementary schools from time to time.

In 2022, the Bedford County Board of Supervisors approved the acceptance of a grant submitted by Sheriff Mike Miller that would fund SROs for Bedford County’s 13 elementary schools and Susie G. Gibson Science & Technology Center.

“Children are our most precious commodity,” said Sheriff Miller, who was also one of Bedford County’s first school resource officers when the program began in 1997. “By filling these positions, we are not only keeping our local children safe in the event of a crisis, but we are also developing a strong foundation of trust with law enforcement.”

Following the approval of the grant, the Sheriff’s Office immediately hit the ground running on recruitment efforts.

“When filling these types of positions, you have to invest a lot into the recruitment process because you have to make sure they are a right fit for the schools,” said Lt. Ryan Hilbish, Services Division. “It’s a different way of thinking for an officer.”

Fast forward to 2024 and those intentional recruitment efforts are paying off. All but three schools in Bedford County now have a dedicated SRO; they went from having seven SROs to 17 in less than two years.

“People are loving it,” said Hilbish. “We get comments from parents and families all the time about how great the SROs are and what they doing to improve the school communities.”

In elementary schools, SROs serve as mentors to students, such as eating lunch with at-risk students or encouraging students who need an extra push. They conduct school security checks and speed enforcement at their assigned school. If certified, elementary school SROs will also lead the D.A.R.E. program.

In middle schools and high schools, SROs focus on mentoring, school safety and are also available for enforcement if needed. High school SROs also teach the Virginia Rules program to teenagers, which focuses on how the law applies to young men and women.

No matter the level, SROs strive to be a friendly face to all.

Sgt. Keith Hall, SRO at Liberty High School, stated: “Being an SRO is such a rewarding career because you get to have positive interactions with the community that you serve and make an impact on young people’s lives."