Has adding a second SRO made West Craven High School safer?

Vanceboro, CRAVEN COUNTY — A year ago, Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes said officers were receiving as many as 10 calls a week about fights or gang activity at West Craven High School. Since adding a new School Resource Officer, deputies said calls have decreased.

Two School Resource Officers (SROs) now patrol the hallways of West Craven High School.

Last year, Sheriff Hughes said he recognized the need for additional support and asked the Board of Commissioners to pay for a second SRO.

It costs approximately $100,000 to add an SRO, including their salary and equipment. Subsidies and taxpayers cover the costs.

Ryleigh Mells will soon be attending West Craven High School. She goes to high school, where there is only one school resource officer.

“It’s a lot of drama, we’ve had a few fights… It’s just hard to feel safe right now because we only have one and he’s not everywhere,” she said.

That’s why Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes has assigned two school officers to West Craven High School.

Lt. Stevan Liszewski is helping roll out this model to all high schools in the school district.

News 12’s Bilyana Garland asked what is the biggest challenge facing high school students in the county. “I mean, it’s a very complex world we live in today. You have so much social media, gang activity, a vaping situation that is always difficult for these guys,” he said.

As of October 2023, one SRO was responsible for the safety of approximately 900 students and staff at the school.

Lt. Liszewski said he sees gang recruitment on campus, describing it as not the infamous Bloods and Crips, but rather neighborhood gangs.

“As the older members recruit the younger members, they will recruit from the schools, so they (deputies) will try to keep an eye on that information and prevent it before it happens,” he said.

He said gang members use the campus environment to make money by selling drugs, but officers have tools to help track the movement of drugs in the hallways.

Lt. Liszewski said SROs step into mentorship while monitoring and securing the campus. “They are well trained for where they are placed, they are there for a reason,” he said.

Ryleigh agreed: “He has to make sure everything is good, and everything is in order, and if you don’t have that, then your school is going to go all over the place.”

Lt. Liszewski said in three years the number of SROs in Craven County schools has doubled, training them to have a positive lifelong impact on students.

But some disagree. The organization called Learning for Justice argued that the presence of SROs makes students feel more controlled than supported.

In Craven County, Lt. Liszewski said he sees a connection between increased SROs at the school and increased student involvement in the school. DARE program. Additionally, he said the “See Something, Say Something” app is a tool for parents and students to provide tips on problematic behavior in schools.

News 12 reached out to the Craven County Schools representative for a comment, but they said they could not provide a response.