CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Circleville City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to add two school resource officers to the city police department, restoring a dedicated police presence in Circleville City Schools.
The measure creates two new positions within the Circleville Police Department rather than reassigning existing patrol officers, meaning the change will not reduce staffing on regular street patrol, according to the city.
Under the agreement, Circleville City Schools will cover 65% of the cost of the two positions, with the city paying the remaining 35%. The arrangement runs for one year, and both the city and the school district expect to renew it if the partnership goes well, according to council.
Circleville Police Chief Kenny Fisher said the officers will not sit idle when school is out of session. During summer break and other times classes are not in session, the two officers will return to regular patrol duty, handling traffic complaints, neighborhood concerns and other public safety needs across the city, Fisher said.
Fisher, a Marine Corps and Army Reserve veteran, rose through the ranks of the Circleville Police Department as an officer and sergeant before serving as acting chief and being sworn in as chief last year. He has said he wants the department to lean further into community policing, and placing officers in the schools full time is intended to help build relationships between young people and police that extend into the wider community.
Council members noted that the cost-sharing split between the city and the school district could be revisited in the future as the police department’s labor contracts are renegotiated, meaning both sides are aware the financial arrangement may not be permanent in its current form.
Circleville City Schools enrolls roughly 2,100 students across its elementary, middle and high schools, according to federal education data.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Circleville.
