Gackle-Streeter Public School and Logan County Sheriffs Department have been in discussion for some time about options for having an officer close by in the event one would be needed quickly. In the fall of 2022, the community participated in an Active Shooter Training put on by the North Dakota Safety council. This training was funded through a grant that was secured by the Logan County manager Daniel Schwartz. One of the concerns that consistently kept coming up was the fact that we are a large county, and the reality is that on any given day law enforcement could be 45 min to an hour away. After talking through some options Sheriff Andrew Bartholomaus and Superintendent Mark Berg thought having a satellite “Day Office” located in the school may be a viable option. The School District will provide office space for anyone in the Dept. to stop in and do office work while on duty. This will provide a day-to-day opportunity for Law Enforcement to be on site.
“It would be ideal if the district could afford a school resource officer (SRO)” said Berg, “the reality is that the district’s budget and the County’s budget just can’t sustain that financial responsibility. This is the next best option I think.”
The intent of the office will be for officer use only. Any business activities that the Sheriff’s Department will conduct will continue to be at City Hall. Sheriff Andrew Bartholomaus stated that having people with potential criminal charges coming to the school to meet with an officer is not going to happen.
This is an exciting opportunity for our students to have the security of onsite officer presence and for officers to have a positive impact building relationships with the students and families in our community.
It’s a win-win!