Phillips Schools getting school resource officer

BEAR CREEK    -  The safety of staff and students at Phillips Schools was at the heart of a major decision by the Bear Creek Town Council to approve the school’s first-ever resource officer, a position the town is now seeking to fill.
Bear Creek Mayor Rob Taylor informed the council at their regular meeting, Wednesday, January 17, that he had spoke with the Marion County Board of Education, the Bear Creek Police Department and Phillips Schools about the need to have a resource officer to cover the school during its operating hours, as well as during extracurricular activities.
The base salary for the resource officer, who will be a member of the Bear Creek Police Department,  will be $37,000, Taylor said.
The entire salary and benefits package for a school resource officer is $53,640.  The Marion County Commission is providing $40,000, which includes the base salary of $37,000, town officials explained.
The Town of Bear Creek will provide the remainder of the costs, including $13,640 a year in health insurance, Taylor said. The town will also furnish the officer a patrol car, fuel for the car and a ballistic vest, Taylor said.
The  board of education will  cover the cost of training to maintain the officer’s APOST certification, additional training needed, as well as furnish an office and computer on the Phillips campus, town officials stated.
“This is a huge move in securing our schools for our teachers and our children,” Mayor Taylor pointed out.
“It’s something that needed to be done for a long time. I’m just glad  that we finally got to a point that we could make this a reality. It will be great for our county,” Taylor added.