Tom Howard served as a prevention resource officer for six years before retiring from the Wheeling Police Department to become the sheriff of Ohio County.
During his campaign, in fact, he pledged to voters to make every effort to find funding to station a PRO at all 13 public schools in the county. Howard was successful with gaining a couple of federal grants to create two new PRO positions, and he was hopeful the amount of money could grow during his second, four-year term.
Now, however, it doesn’t seem necessary, and that has upset Sheriff Howard.
“Right now, we’re in limbo. I know nothing more than I did last week because I’ve not been officially contacted at all about anything,” he explained. “I do not know if they want the PROs, and if they do, in how many of the schools? What we do know, we have found out from the media, and that’s it.
“If they want the PROs in the five schools that have them now, I am absolutely willing to do that. The reason we have had them there is because they protect the schools and because of the need for them,” he said. “Those deputies are mentors, and they teach classes, and they are not just security guards. There is a misconception that’s all they are, but that couldn’t further from the truth. It more about the relationships that those guys develop with the students.”
But with a $94,000 price tag for each of the PROs, officials with Ohio County Schools balked at the deployment beyond July 1.
“The members of the Ohio County Commission came up with that number. We did not. We had the price set at $60,000 per deputy. The Sheriff’s Office did not increase that number at all,” Howard said. “The Commission decided they would take over and negotiate that contract. All I wanted was the same contract that we have had for years. If they would have signed it, I would have been able to use grant monies for the rest of the cost.
“What the Commission decided was to charge the school system for everything, including their benefits, even though those deputies are in the schools for only nine months of the year,” he said. “They Commission decided that, not the Sheriff’s Department. Again, it was not the Sheriff’s Department that came up with that number. That is the Commission completely, and they even decided to charge the schools $25 per day for the cruiser being at the schools.”
A Glaring Omission
The three different budgets for the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office were submitted by Howard on March 1 as mandated by the Commission, and for the first time in his tenure, Howard did not allot funds for the prevention resource officers.
Along with the employees in the Sheriff’s Tax Office, Howard commands 35 deputies, including two chief deputies in Drage Flick and John Schutz. Most often, the familiar black cruisers are seen patrolling The Highlands, but the law enforcement officers also travel each and every road throughout Ohio County, including Interstate 70 and I-470.
From late August through late May each year with Howard as the elected sheriff, deputies have been assigned to five Ohio County schools, including two at Wheeling Park High School. However, when the 2021-2022 academic year begins, as of now, that coverage will no longer be included.
“The funding for the PROs was not included in my budget when I submitted it on March 1 because I didn’t hear from the school system or anyone else, but I was told that I would be informed how many PROs they did want the Friday before I was expected to submit it,” Howard said. “That’s why I held off doing my budget because I was told I would be informed of that number. Well, that didn’t happen.
“When I wasn’t contacted, I figured the school officials didn’t want our deputies,” he said. “The school system had our PRO removed from Middle Creek Elementary, so I figured they just wanted them removed from the other schools, too. It’s my opinion, though, that they need to be in our schools.”
Time Remains
Since the announcement was made earlier in the week, Howard has been contacted by parents, teachers, and former students of Ohio County Schools because of concern and appreciation. Most people have asked him, though, why he decided to pull the deputies from the classrooms.
That has been frustrating, Howard said.
“I think there are people who are trying to make it seem like this is my fault, but I am the one who has been pushing to try and keep our PROs in our schools,” the sheriff insisted. “I want those deputies in our schools, period. When I first campaigned for this position, I told everyone I spoke with that I want a deputy in every school because I know how big of a positive force those deputies are to those children.
“If I didn’t believe in the PRO program, I would be the state’s liaison or the state DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) coordinator,” Howard added. “But I wasn’t given the opportunity to explain why I believe in it so strongly. If I get that chance, maybe this situation can get turned around, and that’s what I hope happens soon. It was included in the most recent bond levy that the voters passed, so I believe something can be worked out.”
But what if that does not happen? What would the children, their parents, their teachers and administrators, and the community miss the most?
“If there are issues in the school, the deputies are there to deal with it, and most times, they handle it in-house so those young people do not end up in our justice system. That’s a big part of what a prevention resource officer does, and it’s unmeasurable,” Howard explained. “These kids are young, and they are making decisions, and sometimes they don’t make the best decisions. With the PROs there, the kids have someone they can turn to because they trust the deputy. Our PROs care about those children.
“I was a prevention resource officer for six years when I served with the Wheeling Police Department, and I still have former students who keep in contact with me, and that’s the case with any member of law enforcement who has served in the same position,” he continued. “The amount the deputies talk with the students plays a huge factor in the students’ lives, and that’s something that needs to continue.”
