PRINEVILLE, OR -- Crook County School District is bringing back a School Resource Officer from Prineville PD. Kathryn Bottoms was taken from schools to patrol during the pandemic, to address the department’s staffing needs. 

Jason Carr, with the school district, says Officer Bottoms re-joins current SRO Jeff Coffman, “Being concerned about student safety we really see the value of having 2 full time officers. One at the high school, one at the middle school to provide a combination of not only safety, but also engagement with students in getting to know them through building relationships.” Carr says SROs are more than just cops, “It’s really about building those relationships and connections so when there is an issue that arises with a student; those officers can handle it and hopefully work with those students to be productive members of the school.” He says they’ll also be available to check in on the elementary schools. 

The district installed security cameras and sensors around the high school four weeks ago and Carr says they’re already making a difference, “The communications to the students is first of all we want you to know what we can expect of you, and what the behaviors that are that we want out of you every day. And if you choose not to go down that road then we have some tools to be able to know when you did something and deal with it.” Video cameras can provide real-time alerts, and new sensors can detect vaping, smoking, air quality changes, and unusual noises.