Local high schools add officers as security

MCNAIRY COUNTY, Tenn. — “We have an officer on campus every day,” Greg Martin, Director of Schools for McNairy County, said.

That is thanks to a grant given to McNairy County Schools.

“We were able to put together a school security team in a concentrated effort was the high schools in McNairy County,” Martin said.

The teams are made up of officers from the Selmer and Adamsville Police Departments as well as the McNairy County Sheriff’s Office.

“I think it’s an added layer of safety and security that helps the students and parents feel more secure about where they’re sending their kids to school,” Dr. Jerry Pyron, Principal of McNairy Central High School, said.

That grant also gives a stipend to pay the officers and deputies. But, these aren’t the only new safety precautions in the schools.

“Single entry entrances we are able to get with technology money and when we began to explore where those greatest needs were we decided the high schools had the biggest needs,” Martin said.

Martin says the high schools have more entrances and exits so it made sense to have officers there first.

And Principal Pyron says the officer’s presence brings more than security, “I think it’s an excellent program. It’s giving law enforcement an opportunity to be close to the students and to make sure they’re very familiar with the campus and have positive relationships with the community.”

Martin says they will learn from having the teams in both McNairy Central and Adamsville High School and hope to to expand to other schools in the future.