Q: With the start of school on Aug. 16, can you share some details about the Youth Resource Deputies assigned to schools from your office?
A: This school year, we will have 51 deputy sheriffs, five corporals, five sergeants, one lieutenant and one captain from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s office that will be working for the St. Johns County School District. We now have a deputy sheriff in every school in St. Johns County (including two from the St. Augustine Police Department for schools in St. Augustine). The school district covers 70 percent of the salary and compensation of these employees and the SJSO covers 30 percent, since during the summer when school is not in session, we assign these deputy sheriffs to the beaches or to the Community Engagement Department.
Q: Why do you think it is so important to have deputy sheriffs in schools, besides safety reasons and the Florida law which required this in light of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018?
A: This is a time for us when we can have a positive influence in students’ and parents’ lives. From pre-K through high school, we can educate parents and students about what we do. At the end of last school year, I visited every school and met with the principal and office staff. This gave me the opportunity to find out if our deputy sheriffs were doing a good job and the response I received was overwhelmingly positive. These deputies are developing personal relationships with students. I’d like to challenge our community to get involved with the deputy sheriff at their school if they haven’t already. Stop by their office and introduce yourself.
Q: What else are you doing to foster relationships with students?
A: One of the cool things we are doing is the vehicle wrap for the deputy’s car at the high school. All the funds for this are privately donated. It started with Bartram Trail and St. Augustine High School, and plans are in the works for Nease, Ponte Vedra, Creekside and Pedro Menendez.The graphic design for these eye-catching cars is created by the students, so that leads to even more community buy-in.
We really have one of the best relationships between the sheriff’s office and the St. Johns County School District. I can’t brag enough about what a great job the school district does.
Q: What other programs do you offer for kids?
A: Our PAL program in St. Johns County actually operates under the same captain as the youth resource deputies with the school district. We offer boxing, cheer, flag football, dance, lacrosse and baseball. I invite the community to get involved with this league.
Also, we have our Explorer program for those youth who might be interested in a career in law enforcement. We have 50 kids right now and a waiting list. They meet every Monday night and have uniforms and rank structure. This is a great recruiting tool as these kids can eventually become deputy sheriffs.
Q: What is the best way for our readers to contact you with any questions or suggestions about this article?
A: They can email me at sheriff@sjso.org or call me at (904) 824-8304. Also, our website, www.sjso.org has a wealth of resources, from alarm registration to Crime Stoppers to our Neighbors app.
