ty Commissioners further review-
ed possible school security plans
Tuesday, including a third alterna-
tive that would significantly cut
costs from the previous two op-
tions.
Plan 3 would include the hiring of
nine new deputies, seven of which
would be part-time with the re-
maining two full-time. A $125,000
federal grant would lower the
$444,739 to an end total of
$319,739. After the first year,
Sheriff Reggie Mason only antici-
pates salary costs, further drop-
ping the annual expense in the
second year and beyond to about
$210,000. The first two proposals
had come in at $1.7 million and
$596,000, respectively.
13 full-time deputies. The second
proposal would have trimmed
costs by hiring part-time deputies
with less equipment costs. Anoth-
er option would have brought mu-
nicipal police into the equation
and paid local departments to sta-
tion officers at schools. Those
plans, however, are considered
expensive, prompting Mason to
come up with the alternative he
discussed this week.
been asked if I could come up with
a plan less expensive than the two
previously submitted," wrote Ma-
son in a letter to the commission.
"I now submit Plan 3, that I feel will
work for all; keeping safety first, as
well as cost less."
satisfied with only hiring nine new
officers, the majority of which be-
ing part-time, when the original
expectation was for 13 new depu-
ties. But he told the commission
that it had room to grow and was
the best his office could do with
the county's repeated requests to
lower the cost.
mentary schools would receive
their own officers who would patrol
the buildings during school hours.
A single deputy would be split be-
tween Worcester Technical High
School and the Board of Educa-
tion building, another deputy
would cover Stephen Decatur
High and Middle schools, and yet
another would be responsible for
Berlin Intermediate and Bucking-
ham Elementary schools.
to serve all of their community's
schools meaning that one officer
would cover Snow Hill Elemen-