Elsmere Police hire Jimmy Thomas as school resource officer for Arnett Elementary

The City of Elsmere and the Elsmere Police Department have significantly boosted school safety in the community with the hiring of a School Resource Officer (SRO) that is assigned to Arnett Elementary School. 
 
Veteran law enforcement officer Jimmy Thomas, who is retired from the Boone County Sheriff’s Department and most recently served with the Villa Hills Police Department, will serve as the Arnett Elementary School SRO. Elsmere also provides SRO Travis Nunn for Howell Elementary School.
 

 
Through Elsmere’s partnership with neighboring Erlanger, every school campus in the Erlanger-Elsmere Independent School District has a full-time SRO.  
 
Elsmere Mayor Marty Lenhof said he and the city are proud to provide SRO’s at Arnett and Howell elementary schools.  
 
“We have a wonderful partnership with the City of Erlanger and the Erlanger- Elsmere School District, which is a model for how School Resource Officer programs should operate,” Mayor Lenhof said. “As a former educator and current Mayor, I am a strong advocate for having School Resource Officers and the benefit they can provide to the community. I believe Officer Thomas will be a great addition to our police department and along with Officer Nunn will provide great service to Elsmere and the Erlanger – Elsmere School District.” 
 
SRO’s are assigned to school buildings and campuses and play a vital role in school safety as well as provide a positive image of law enforcement to students,  said Elsmere Police Chief Joseph Maier. 
 
Under state law, an SRO is defined as “a sworn law enforcement officer who has specialized training to work with youth at a school site” and is “employed through a contract between a local law enforcement agency and a school district.” 
 
Earlier this year, the Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 63, which requires SRO’s at every school campus in the state.