Dothan AL July 23 2018 Dothan is trotting out its school protection plan in pieces. A new visitor check-in process will decrease the chance of adults gaining unauthorized access to students and additional measures are expected to be announced. However, Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish said the addition of 19 school protection officers will be blazing a new trail for school security.

The Dothan City Commission has approved funding for the first year of the program, which puts a new class of officers in and around city schools throughout the school year.

“We can’t do a quick search and find a solution, so instead, we are creating one,” Parrish said in an interview with the Dothan Eagle Friday. “Having no template means that we can develop this, and help this grow, and then share it. We think school protection officers (SPOs) will become another facet of law enforcement.”

While there are currently eight school resource officers (SROs), the additional SPOs should put trained law enforcement within seconds of responding to a threat at any school facility.

Parrish said it is more important than ever for schools to have the protection they need at all times. The response time of normal police patrol units can be somewhere between three to five minutes and, “in the case of a school shooting, a lot of people can be hurt in that time.”

Due to the cost of employing additional officers, school protection officers will go through a paid police officer reserve program, adhere to DPD policies, and maintain their Alabama Peace Officers Training Standards and Commission qualifications.

SPOs will be trained exclusively on intelligence gathering, early warning systems, and threat assessments. The officers will conduct informational and training sessions for teachers, students, and school staff on emergency safety practices. Additionally, Dothan Fire Department Chief Larry Williams has been working with Parrish to create a potential medical triage training course for the school protection officers.

SPOs will be paid an hourly wage of $18, and will work no more than 32 hours a week. Retirees under the Retirement Systems of Alabama are allowed to work part-time and make up to $31,000 a year, meaning that people in this category have the ability to apply for an SPO position.

The first year of funding for the program will come from city reserves that will be paid through the General Fund, totaling $534,397.07. The cost includes training, equipment, salary, and tax expenses for the 19 new officers the police department seeks.

After the first year, however, the Dothan City Board of Education will split the costs of equipment, and salaries to include FICA, as well as the salaries and fringe benefits for each additional officer provided at P.A.S.S. Academy.

The agreement between the city and the education board to combine funding efforts is based on a yearly agreement that can be terminated with 30 days’ notice at any time.

“We hope the program will bring a long-term solution to school safety,” said Parrish. “We’re going to keep our kids safe.”

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