Deputies to troll Snohomish County schools

Snohomish County will now have a team of deputies dedicated to patrolling the more than 100 schools in unincorporated areas of the county.

Five deputies are being pulled from other duties to create the new School Service Unit. They will team with the current school resource officers to improve safety.

Shari Ireton in the sheriff’s office said they will be responsible for working with teachers, staff and students to respond to issues or even prevent them.

“These deputies will be specifically trained on school specific issues,” Ireton said. “Working with teachers and parents and being a mentor to students.”

After the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, Sheriff John Lovick decided to create a plan to make schools in the county safer, considering budget cuts have restricted the number of school resource officers available to the schools. He hopes this program will eventually find funding to expand.