The McCracken County Schools police force is planning to reclassify itself as a school-based law enforcement agency (SBLEA) to align with recent Kentucky legislation.
House Bill 63 amended KRS 158.441 to expand the jurisdiction of school resource officers to campus-adjacent roads and other buildings used for school functions. The reclassification of the agency also means officers’ certification will now last until they retire or are decertified, whereas it was previously renewed every four years.
Austin Guill, law enforcement officer for McCracken County Schools, said the police force will be able to investigate crimes that may occur at the convention center used during prom if the school board approves the change at the end of the month.
“Our duties as school resource officers will be the exact same,” Guill said. “So if a wreck happens right outside of the high school on the highway, we can take care of it. If there’s a fight that happens on a street that’s going through campus that normally we couldn’t handle before, we can handle that now.”
Although the police force has operated as an independent agency since the 1990s, Guill has heard conflicting reports from attorneys regarding whether board approval is explicitly necessary to adhere to this legislation.
“As far as McCracken goes, I wanted to afford the board of education the opportunity to hear about the SBLEA changes and make sure that they were on board with that,” Guill said.
Guill said much of Kentucky’s legislation surrounding school resource officers was enacted shortly after the Marshall County High School shooting in 2018, chiefly the “School Safety and Student Resilience Act.” Knox County even banned backpacks in its middle and high schools to prevent students from concealing dangerous items.
“Kentucky is ahead of the game on law enforcement, and I’m not just saying that because I’ve lived here all my life,” he said. We’re a mile ahead of other states, and I feel fortunate for that.”
