MOORE COUNTY, N.C. — The Moore County Sheriff’s Office is training deputies, recruiting additional officers and purchasing new vehicles as it prepares to assume responsibility for Moore County school resource officers.
The transition from the Moore County Schools Police Department to the Sheriff’s Office is scheduled to begin Jan. 1, 2027. The goal is to provide a dedicated, armed law-enforcement presence at every district campus.
Moore County Schools operates 24 campuses and has faced continued challenges recruiting and retaining enough school-based law-enforcement officers.
Deputies complete specialized SRO training
North Carolina requires officers assigned as school resource officers to complete specialized training covering the duties and responsibilities involved in serving a school community.
The first group of 10 Moore County deputies completed the required 40-hour SRO course in August. Another training class is scheduled to take place at Samarcand Training Academy in December.
Sheriff Ronnie Fields said his office is working to make the transition as smooth as possible while ensuring deputies have the necessary training, vehicles and equipment.
The current Basic Law Enforcement Training program at Sandhills Community College also includes six cadets preparing to work for the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.
Recruitment remains an important part of transition
The Sheriff’s Office has been working to increase the number of patrol deputies since the school-security transition was announced in April.
Fields said the department has identified qualified candidates interested in working inside the schools. The agency is also communicating with current Moore County Schools police officers who may continue serving during the transition.
State certification requirements can make the hiring process more complicated. Probation officers, retired or transitioning military police officers and officers arriving from other states may need to work for a North Carolina law-enforcement agency and complete required certification steps before entering the school system.
County approves 18 police vehicles
The Moore County Board of Commissioners authorized nearly $800,000 for 18 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles to support the new school resource officers.
The purchasing contract was approved July 17 and called for the vehicles to be delivered within 30 days. Each Ford Explorer must then be equipped with emergency lighting, communications equipment, interior police equipment and Sheriff’s Office markings.
The vehicles will allow deputies assigned to schools to respond to emergencies and perform other law-enforcement responsibilities without depending on existing patrol vehicles.
Why Moore County is changing its SRO program
The Moore County Board of Education voted in April to transition the district’s SRO program to the Sheriff’s Office. District leaders said the previous structure made it difficult to recruit officers directly from training academies and compete with other law-enforcement agencies on pay.
Legislation that had authorized the school district to operate its own campus law-enforcement agency was eliminated in June, adding urgency to the transition.
Implementation begins Jan. 1, although the district previously said the complete rollout could take approximately 18 months. Officials say maintaining school safety and continuity for students and employees will remain the priority throughout the process.
Source: Original reporting by Jonathan Bym of The Pilot. Additional background was provided by Moore County Schools and the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.
