Sheriff’s Department Working With New Buffalo Schools

berriensheriff

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is going to work with New Buffalo Area Schools on security. At this week’s meeting, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved an arrangement that will have a sheriff’s deputy stationed at the schools. Sheriff Paul Bailey spoke with WSJM News about the arrangement.

“We’ll be there working with the school on safety issues, mentoring the kids and putting on safety programs,” Bailey said. “Across the country, there are more and more resource officers because of the shooting incidents that we’ve had in schools. We think it’s a great thing that we’re there.”

Bailey says the school district in New Buffalo is the first in Berrien County to contract with the sheriff’s department on a resource officer. Some districts work with their local police departments on security. New Buffalo Area Schools this year will have a city police officer at the high school, and the sheriff’s deputy at the elementary school. Bailey says the full-time deputy will spend the summer patrolling Silver Beach. The cost for the deputy is being shared between New Buffalo Area Schools and the Berrien County Parks Department.