ROME– Floyd County Schools has taken a formal step toward replacing contracted school resource officers with its own police department.

The Floyd County Board of Education adopted a resolution Sept. 21 establishing the Floyd County Schools Police Department. However, the district must still obtain state recognition and put its operating plans in place. Superintendent Glenn White told WRGA News the goal is to have the plan in place by July 2027.

The board named Nasier Vazquez, its current director of safety and security, as chief of police. The district’s startup letter says Vazquez joined the district in July and is already a sworn, state-certified law enforcement officer.

Why the district is considering a change

Floyd County Police Department officers have served as resource officers in district schools for years. Under the existing arrangement, the school system paid 75 percent of the cost, according to WRGA. Talks about a district police department began after officials learned its share would rise to 100 percent, WRGA reported.

White said the district plans to add officers over time. Its stated long-term goal is an officer in each school, according to the startup letter. However, that letter does not set a date for reaching that level of staffing.

“We want to make sure our students and staff are safe. That’s our priority,” White told WRGA.

More officers would also mean more expense. White told WRGA he intends to seek money for vehicles and equipment in the next education sales tax proposal. Meanwhile, the resolution authorizes the district to pursue school safety grants and purchase equipment and insurance. It also directs officials to plan the transition from contracted resource officers. The documents do not provide a staffing plan or a total cost estimate.

What must happen before officers take the job

The board resolution directs district officials to seek recognition from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. They also must obtain an agency identification number and seek an Originating Agency Identifier through the Georgia Crime Information Center.

Under Georgia law, school security personnel need POST certification and board authorization before exercising police powers on school property. Those powers include making arrests. The law also permits a district to employ security personnel without police powers.

The resolution authorizes certified officers to carry standard-issue firearms for law enforcement work, subject to board policy and training requirements. Vazquez will organize the department, recommend policies, and direct hiring and training under the superintendent’s and board’s oversight.

The chief must also develop rules for arrests, searches, use of force, de-escalation, firearms, and vehicle pursuits. Other policies must cover evidence, body cameras, records, and complaints. In addition, the resolution calls for agreements with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office and the Floyd County Police Department.

A separate state law on officers in schools requires a written agreement defining police and school employees’ roles in discipline. It must also address access to student information and how police and education records are handled. District officials must negotiate that agreement as well.

How other Georgia districts operate

The approach already exists elsewhere in Georgia. For example, Glynn County Schools says it has operated an in-house police and public safety unit since 1998. Its website lists 26 sworn officers and a dispatcher. The district also says more than 40 school board law enforcement units operate statewide.

WRGA reported that about 50 Georgia school systems have their own departments, including Polk and Bartow counties. Polk School District has a school police department. Similarly, Bartow County School System identifies its own school police chief. Still, the statewide figures are estimates; this reporting did not establish an exact count from a POST roster.

For Floyd County, the board’s action establishes the department and sets out the path to begin operating it. The district intends to maintain law enforcement coverage during the transition, according to the resolution.

NORTHWEST GEORGIA NEWS