New Laurel funding seeks to bond youth with law enforcement

help create a good relationship between the police and youth 47 abc’s ashonti ford has the story — take a look a few years ago the state stopped funding school resource officers in our schools in 2008 the recession hit and this impacted everyone — especially school districts. and it was here that tough decisions had to be made especially in laurel track for the last four years laurel middle and high school — which share a property — have been the only schools in sussex county without an armed resource officer and though that hasn’t affected the curriculum — the laurel police department decided curriculum — the laurel police department decided to change that. chief dan wright worked with the town manager jamie smith – and applied for a grant. we were very very fortunate to get it track laurel middle and high have been awarded a one hundred and twenty five thousand dollar cop grant — distributed over three years — to go toward providing the campus with an on site officer during school hours and after. this is going to be a bonding thing – children are going to come in here, young adults,and get to interact on a daily basis with a police officer get to know them personally – understand what we do track and the middle and high school principals agree sometimes there’s not a natural relationship between the police and the community and i think that that’s always our goal – to have a relationship and a positive relationship. and i think that’s the opportunity here :56 to have a police officer in the school in a non threatening way i feel like this will impact out students in a positive way just by building that relationship with the police officers and give them someone they can go to and talk to and really just forge a relationship that will go beyond their school days and beyond their years here track the superintendent tells us that the new resource officer will be firm and fair but most of all – an advocate for children. track the superintendent tells us that the new resource officer will be firm and fair but most of all – an advocate for children. ashonti ford 47 a-b-c chief dan wright– tells us the new resource officer will be someone selected from the existing laurel police force — and will be acclimated into laurel middle and high school by december first. crystal steel fabricators – a family owned manufacturing