Oakboro commissioners to contract for school SRO, create listing for police chief

The Oakboro Town Commission made two unanimous decisions at a special meeting Tuesday night regarding the school resource officer (SRO) for Oakboro STEM School and the proposed listing for a new police chief.

In front of a packed crowd at Town Hall, Town Administrator Georgia Osborne-Harvey presented options for commissioners regarding how the town could proceed with finding a SRO.

She said there were four options the town could choose: contracting with an outside agency or security company, scheduling a current full-time member of Oakboro PD, contracting with Stanly County Schools or contracting directly with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office.

After a 20-minute closed session, Osborne-Harvey requested a motion to choose the third option, contracting with SCS who ultimately contracts with the Sheriff’s Office. The motion passed unanimously.

The board then went into another lengthy closed session to discuss details for the official listing for the position of police chief.

Afterwards, the board unanimously approved the verbiage for the position listing, which is scheduled to be posted on the Oakboro website Wednesday.

Qualifications for the new police chief include 10 years of law enforcement experience, including five years of leadership and administrative experience. The new chief will have to live within two miles of the town limits, and will have six months to move after being employed.

Essential duties include overseeing all law enforcement operations for the department, recruiting and overseeing training, administrative work and creating “a culture of accountability for application of effective law enforcement practices which foster a sense of security and respect for community members and officers alike.”

Salary for the police chief will be from $75,000 to $89,000 per year, with a benefits package.

Harvey also outlined the timeline and process for the hiring of a police chief. She said the listing should be posted for a minimum of 45 days prior to initial review and interviews.

She said an initial interview committee of 10 to 12 people would perform those interviews. The committee would consist of small and large business owners or employees, residents of Oakboro, members of law enforcement and one town commissioner. Harvey said she would act as the chairperson of the board.

She added it would be appropriate to post on the town’s website a link for people wishing to serve on the board. Depending on how many apply for certain positions, she said she would “probably bring it to the board (of commissioners)” to make those determinations.

A follow-up committee, including the board of commissioners, herself, one Oakboro PD officer and “an option of one to two other individuals,” would conduct second and possibly third interviews with potential candidates.

Harvey said she gathered information for the town’s search from the Criminal Justice Standards Division, the League of Municipalities, other town managers and listings for police chiefs, along with the advice of the town’s attorneys.

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