Corbin Officer Amanda Neal joined the Corbin School District as a new School Resource Officer. Neal will join current School Resource Officer Bill Rose in providing a safe atmosphere for students.The pair of officers were approved by the city last summer as part of a partnership between the Corbin School District and the City of Corbin. The officers are hired through the Federal COPS, Community Oriented Policing Services, Grant.
Neal was originally hired earlier in the year but was required to complete six months of Department of Criminal Justice training prior to starting at Corbin Schools. Although both School Resource Officers are available to all Corbin Schools as needed, Neal will be stationed mainly at Corbin Middle School.
“We want parents to understand we now have a presence in the schools and just because a police car is parked outside does not mean anything is wrong,” Officer Rose said. “We enjoy being in the schools and providing a sense of safety for the students. More than that, we hope to teach students we are approachable for anything and always here to help.”
Officer Rose is currently stationed at Corbin High School. He took over for Officer Lonnie Sawyers in January.
The purpose of the COPS grant is to provide resource officers for the school district. The program hopes to build a positive relationship between the police, students, and community members as well as provide safety for students.