Pickens County hires school resource officers

Students in Pickens County are safer than ever now that the school system’s hired school resource officers for a good portion of its schools.

“My job is to become part of you guys,” Gordo SRO James Davis said.

Davis is on his third week as SRO, but has been in law enforcement for nearly a decade.

“Anytime anyone needs me or y’all hear of someone who is in need, feel free to contact me,” Davis said. “You can text me; you can come out to my office; you can email me.”

Through grant funding, the Pickens County Board of Education hired an SRO for each high school and its feeder schools: Aliceville, Pickens County, the career tech center and Gordo High School.

Gordo Principal Mark Capps said Davis is an asset to his staff and students.

“He sees kids between every class,” Capps said. “He’s here when they get off the bus in the mornings. The first friendly face that they see. He is speaking to them as they come in. He is just constantly patrolling the two schools, the elementary school and the high school. If I need to find him, I have to call him on the radio because he is not sitting in the office. He is out talking to kids, building those relationships and doing things I think you have to do to be a successful SRO.”

After the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, Pickens County school leaders realized there’s more they could be doing to keep their students safe.

Besides protecting students from harm, Davis said he is also building a bond with these students that will last long after their school years are over.

“I am bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement,” Davis said.