PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a grant to add 10 school resource officers to its school division.
Pittsylvania Sheriff’s Office currently has eight SROs for 21 schools and over 10,700 students and staff across the division.
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The grant, funded through the Department of Criminal Justice Services covers salaries and fringe benefits of the SROs through June 2023. The county plans to use these funds to pay for existing positions while the Sheriff’s Office works on training and hiring more officers.
“Increasing the number of SROs that serve our schools is extremely important for our students and staff,” said Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor. “I am thankful to the Department of Criminal Justice Services for awarding us this grant and to the Board of Supervisors for allocating the remaining funds that will allow us to equip and maintain one SRO for every school.”
In July 2023, the county will be responsible for 25 percent of salaries and fringe benefits of the new SRO positions, and the DCJS will provide $475,170 annually for years 2 to 4. An upfront cost of $50,596 will be provided for each new deputy, paid for by Pittsylvania County.
“The Board of Supervisors is thrilled to make this investment that will help provide safer, more secure learning environments for the thousands of students and staff that spend time at our elementary schools every day,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Vic Ingram. “Having additional SROs in our schools will bolster our education and public safety, two of the most important services that government provides.”