The Clark County Sheriff’s Office will receive a grant totaling $58,248.80 to partner with local schools to introduce new potential recruits to the field of law enforcement, according to the governor’s office. The agency will also launch a marketing plan aimed at engaging female and minority candidates.
Currently, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office employs roughly 200 people, including sworn deputies, supervisors, corrections officers and civilian staff, according to data provided by the office. More than 81% of sheriff’s office employees identify as white or non-Hispanic, and more than 61% are male.
The sheriff’s office will partner with school superintendents within seven districts of Clark County: Clark-Shawnee Local; Greenon Local, Northeastern Local, Northwestern Local, Southeastern Local, Springfield City Schools and Tecumseh Local. School resource officers working in the high schools within the districts will work directly with principals, staff and students.
The Sheriff’s Office will run an outreach and educational program to students that have expressed an interest in law enforcement. Each opportunity will be for a six week period; with weekly sessions lasting one hour, according to the sheriff’s office. For those students that successfully complete the outreach and educational program and want to begin working in a law enforcement environment, the sheriff’s office will provide a cadet opportunity.
The sheriff’s office will be redeveloping a cadet program. Cadets will rotate through a variety of divisions at the sheriff’s office to get exposure to the different opportunities, the sheriff’s office said.
The cadets that are accepted into the program will receive an hourly wage and two uniforms, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office will also be collaborating with staff at Clark State College’s criminal justice program and with the Clark County Law Enforcement Advisory Team (CCLEAT). CCLEAT was established in July 2020 to give community members a stronger voice in law enforcement standards in Clark County, the sheriff’s office said.
The grant program is a part of the state’s Operating Budget that the Ohio General Assembly passed last year, a press release from State Rep. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) said. The Ohio Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment is facilitating the program and the remaining funds of the $1 million grant program are planned to be dispersed in fiscal year 2023.
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