During their planning retreat Friday, Wake Forest commissioners discussed their feelings about the town and its people, agreeing the town is safe though crowded, and that we are “a highly social community” as evidenced, Commissioner Brian Pate said, by the high attendance at Friday Night on White and other downtown events.
And it is connected. Commissioner Jim Thompson said, “I love to be in southern Wake Forest and get to Joyner Park without getting in my car.”
Commissioner Brian Pate followed by noting that the town has been very fortunate in not having a major issue involving the police department. “People just try to start something because there’s a badge in front of them.” It is just as important to keep town officers safe as it is to keep residents safe, he added.
Then Pate said he was not addressing school resource officers, but “My two daughters think Officer Scott Graham is the greatest person on the face of the earth.” Graham is the DARE officer who works in local elementary schools.
But Mayor Vivian Jones said, “I think we are going to have to address SROs. As time goes on, we’re going to be put in that position.”
“There are advantages to us in having them [SROs] there,” Police Chief Jeff Leonard said, explaining his department funds two SROs for the two high schools, Wake Forest and Heritage. The Wake County Sheriff’s Department places SROs in the middle schools. The cost to the town for each officer is more than the $37,500 the Wake County Public School System pays the town, the same rate it paid 20 years ago.
Leonard also said there would be advantages to the Wake Forest Police Department if they could cover all local schools but there is an issue of the cost.
“What you’re calling a cost I call an investment,” Pate said. “I’ve watched [one of the SROs] dealing with kids individually. I think there’s value in that relationships being established.
Leonard agreed and expanded on that in an email this week. “The value of the SRO is evidenced not only by the quality relationships they forge with the students today but even more by the long-term benefits those relationships yield in the future. Through their daily interactions with the students, the SROs serve as students’ friends, mentors, and even role models. Over time, they often become viewed as the trusted “face” of law enforcement.
“So while these relationships are certainly beneficial at school, they become even more critical when our officers interact with the students away from school, and in later years as adults. We see it every day – the relationships nurtured between our SROs and students today effectively strengthen our bond with our community tomorrow.”
The editor had to leave the retreat before the afternoon session, but Mayor Vivian Jones provided an overview:
“We spent the afternoon talking about financial things like the debt issuance policy and were presented with the new first Citizen’s Financial Report also known as the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR). This is an overview of the town’s financial picture and is very user friendly. It is prepared to provide more transparency of the town’s financial operations. You can see this report at wakeforestnc.gov and search for “comprehensive annual financial report.”
“We also were given a report on the Renaissance Centre renovation plans and were shown some marketing materials that the economic development department is producing for use with companies they deal with.
“I thought the retreat went well and we will be looking forward to the new strategies the staff will suggest for continuing to meet our strategic plan goals.”
