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As of 10:30 a.m. on July 27, members of the newly established School Resource Officer Unit at the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office were officially sworn-in by Judge Doug Collins.

The newly-minted SROs include: Devon Gillett, Samuel Swatzell, Mark Holbert, Justin Wenger, Jim Ballenger, Dustin Frost, Holly Hartness, Megan Littrell and Travis Edwards.

The SROs are part of the HCSO’s newly formed SRO unit thanks to Gov. Bill Lee’s grant created to support the placement of a certified SRO in every public school.

Sheriff Chad Mullins made the determination that Hamblen County should be in charge of constructing and maintaining the unit. Mullins’ direction was backed by Hamblen County Mayor Bill Brittain and the Hamblen County Commission’s approval, so Mullins applied for the grant and it was immediately approved.

Through the grant, the HCSO was awarded funding for 18 SROs, nine of which were sworn in today. Captain David Cribley of the HCSO said that 14 of the 18 SROs will be in place by the beginning of the school year.

“We already had two SROs in the school system; we have three individuals from within the department transferring to the SRO Unit and we have hired nine new ones.” Cribley added. “At present we are in the process of testing for the remaining four.”

The grant provides $75,000 per SRO, however the funding for each officer will need to include their salary, benefits, training, equipment and other related costs, annually.

“We are honored to accept the challenge and the responsibility for the SRO Unit, but the county couldn’t cover the start-up costs without the support of The Hamblen County Board of Education and the city of Morristown,” said Mullins.

“Starting a new Unit is costly,” Mullins stated. “Although $75,000 is a substantial amount of money, it doesn’t come close to what is required to get these SRO’s established, trained and into the schools to protect our kids.”

“As a parent, I am pleased about having a full-time law enforcement officer within each of the Hamblen County Schools,” Cribley said.

“We have worked tirelessly to get our SROs in place so parents, teachers and students can start the new year feeling safe. Our SROs are excited about their new roles within the school system and are anxious to meet their students and faculty members.”

Cribley encourages students, faculty and parents to get to know their SROs and speak freely with them on any concerns they may have.