Edison Local School District deploys SROs in their schools
RICHMOND OH Sept 7 2021 — Students in the Edison Local School District are seeing some newer faces in the hallways with Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Swoyer and Saline Township Police Officer Chrisse Jones on duty in the schools.
Swoyer, of Steubenville, began his duties at Edison Jr./Sr. High School on Aug. 23 but has spent the past 16 years in local law enforcement. He said being in the school has been quite the departure from patrolling communities.
“It’s a refreshing change of pace and I like the interaction with the faculty and students,” he said. “There are really good kids and the student population is mannerly and respectful. It’s good to see morals still have a place among the young people.”
Swoyer added that he wanted to be part of the safety forces for as long as he could remember and would go on to achieve his dream.
“Ever since I knew what a police officer was, that was my goal in life — to become one,” he said.
He attended the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy before graduating Buckeye Local High School in 2005. Since then, he married and had three children and his first official law enforcement position was with the Mt. Pleasant Police Department.
He would go on to serve at various police departments, but he has been with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office since 2015 and has actively patrolled communities and answered emergency calls. Additionally, he’s spent five years with the JCSO’s Special Response Team.
Meanwhile, Saline Township Ptl. Chrisse Jones is nearing her first anniversary at Stanton Elementary this November. Jones, who hails from East Liverpool, began at school after taking her post with the township. It’s not the first school-related job she’s held because she was also an SRO at LaCroft Elementary in her hometown.
“I love it,” she said. “I love being a positive police influence for them.”
Whether she’s spending time with the youngsters at gym or lunch, Jones said she enjoys each moment and even has students coloring paper police badges and cartoon police officers to decorate her office. The Beaver Local High School graduate’s foray into law enforcement began with a stint as a security guard, but she soon sought more opportunities in the field.
“I felt I was meant for something more,” she added. “In 2017, I began at the police academy and graduated in June of 2018.”
She started her SRO position that August at LaCroft and eventually worked at the Columbiana County Courthouse before joining Saline Twp. Police. Jones is also married with a son and said her newest job is definitely different from her time in East Liverpool since she works in a smaller area.
In addition to Swoyer and Jones, Edison students are assisted by JCSO Deputy Mark Clark, who has served as a longtime SRO at John Gregg Elementary.
