Nearly $1.5 million of state funding will support more than a dozen school resource officers in Chesapeake and Portsmouth schools.
The funding — part of a multi-year grant to increase public safety measures in elementary and secondary schools — comes from the general fund of Virginia’s state budget as part of the School Resource Officer/School Security Officer Incentive Grant Program. The funds are prioritized for localities lacking such officers in their school divisions.
Chesapeake received $330,060 in state funding that will be complemented with a $160,590 contribution from Chesapeake Public Schools. For the current school year, eight officers have been spread across all 28 elementary schools. But at Tuesday’s meeting, Chesapeake City Council approved a request from the sheriff’s office to expand the program and allocate the state funding for six additional officers, resulting in one officer being responsible for two schools.
In a memo, city staff said Chesapeake school resource officers have handled 500 incidents since the program’s inception this year.
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Last year, the Chesapeake School Board also approved revised policies that would allow security officers to be armed if needed.
Portsmouth received $1 million, including a local cash match of $210,098 and in-kind contribution of $121,248 to support 12 officers for the city’s elementary, middle and high schools.
In addition to basic law enforcement training, school resource officers will be trained to respond to active threats and crisis situations.
Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
