Sheriff Austin Garrett discusses SROs
Sheriff Austin Garrett announced that the HCSO School Resource Deputy Unit (SRD) is now fully staffed.
The Sheriff's Office recently hired nine new personnel, three of which have been assigned to the HCSO School Resource Deputy Unit. These three individuals, along with other SRDs previously hired since August of 2023, will fill the remaining vacant HCDE middle and high schools within our agency’s coverage agreement as well as the remaining unfilled Charter School assignments once their training is completed. These new SRDs will now undergo several weeks of specialized training, field training, and mentorship before being assigned to their respective schools.
Sheriff Garrett said, “Since I assumed the office of sheriff in September of 2022, we have successfully recruited 19 deputies to serve in our School Resource Deputy Unit. In order to make this unprecedented success a reality, my staff and I, along with support from County Mayor Weston Wamp and the Hamilton County Commission, implemented an agency-wide pay increase for our personnel and established a new and robust recruitment campaign to help recruit qualified and experienced personnel not only in our School Resource Deputy Unit, but throughout our entire agency. We have stayed the course and remained committed to filling these vacancies and we are now seeing the fruits of our labor. These efforts, supported by the newly implemented State-wide School Resource Officer Program Grant funded by Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly, have allowed us to get to this monumental point in our operations and demonstrates how the HCSO continues to lead the way in providing the best law enforcement services available not only for the citizens of Hamiton County, but most importantly, our community’s children.”
There are currently eight charter schools in Hamilton County, two of which were recently staffed in the fall of 2023 by School Resource Officers from the Soddy Daisy Police Department. The Chattanooga Police Department provides two School Resource Officers who serve alongside HCSO SRD’s as part of our county-wide program at Brainerd High School and Howard High School. The East Ridge Police Department has also assumed the responsibility to staff four HCDE schools within their city limits as well. With the HCSO School Resource Deputy Unit now fully staffed, once all training has been completed by the new recruits, every designated HCDE school and charter school within our agency’s coverage agreement will be covered by a School Resource Deputy.
Sheriff Garrett said, “I am grateful for the support and partnership we have received from the Soddy Daisy, Chattanooga, and East Ridge Police Departments with providing personnel as we as a community endeavor to expand the School Resource Deputy Program throughout our county and ensure our children have a safe, productive place to learn and grow.”
Much of this expansion of the School Resource Deputy Program in Hamilton County into our local charter schools was possible due to a new Statewide School Resource Officer (SRO) Program Grant funded by Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly, it was stated.
Senator Bo Watson said, "As a senior state senator, public safety – particularly in our schools – remains a top priority. This includes attracting and recruiting qualified school resource deputies and officers to serve and protect in our schools across Hamilton County. This is no easy task, and I want to personally commend Sheriff Garrett, his team and our community who worked hard to bring this together – including the state delegation, Hamilton County and surrounding municipalities which helped ensure it was funded.”
The School Resource Deputy Officer Program Grant provides funding to local law enforcement entities to place one full-time, POST-certified SRO in each K-12 public school and public charter school in Tennessee. Local law enforcement agencies are eligible to apply for funding not to exceed $75,000 per year, per SRO, per school for which they are responsible for providing SRO services.
The HCSO School Resource Deputy Unit currently consists of 36 School Resource Deputies, four sergeants, and one lieutenant. HCSO SRDs cover 36 schools throughout the HCDE system.