Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

There’s been a lot of talk about metal detectors being implemented in the Troup County School System, a discussion that remains ongoing.

We’ve given our thoughts on that very important decision, including the difficulties tied to the logistics of implementing them. 

However, until that decision is reached — and even after — we were reminded recently that school resource officers continue to be a deterrent to crime in our schools. Last week, officer Ryan Cadenhead arrested a LaGrange High student on the Troup High campus. The student, 15, had a loaded weapon in their possession.

We have no idea what the student’s intentions were, but the weapon implies that they weren’t good.

Cadenhead stopped the student, found the weapon and defused a potentially violent situation. And guess what? That’s just one situation. SROs all over the Troup County School System handle problems in our schools every day, and most of them don’t show up in the newspaper.

The school system, Troup County Sheriff’s Office and LaGrange Police Department have been an emphasis on SROs, including committing to putting more in our schools. That’s a good thing.

SROs get to know students and know who they hang out with. If a student comes in and is “off,” it’s very possible the SRO might notice that something is different. 

Just having an officer stationed at a school is a deterrent. We thank all of our SROs, including Cadenhead, for the work they are doing daily in our schools to keep our students safe and on track.