Tonseth new school resource officer

BRIDGEPORT – Acting Douglas County Sheriff Kevin Morris addressed the regular monthly meeting of city council last Wednesday, August 15, and updated members on the recent developments in law enforcement circles.

Morris announced that deputy Sam Tonseth has been appointed the new Bridgeport School District resource officer and will serve full-time with the school starting August 27.

Morris said while Tonseth will serve campus-wide, his office will be in the newly constructed administrative wing.

“Actually, a really good tactical, perfect spot for that position,” said Morris. “He’s up in the front where people will be coming in; I think it’s a perfect spot.”

Morris said his vision of a school resource officer is not just to have a gun in the school.

“Because we are part of that community I want these kids to know who the police are,” said Morris “and I think the community has embraced that.”

Morris said there are some students that come through elementary, middle school and high school who develop an opinion about law enforcement not based on what they see, but what they are told.

“What I would really like is for them to base their opinion on law enforcement on what they see,” said Morris. “I’d like to see in five years when those kids come through elementary and middle school we actually see a positive impact in their opinion of what law enforcement is.”

“We’re part of emergency management, public safety, and community relationships,” said Morris.

In response to a question from Mayor Janet Conklin about the school contributing to the cost of the resource officer, Morris said it pays 50 percent, including all raises.

“We’ve got a five-year guarantee from them,” said Morris of the school’s commitment. He said he did not want to see the funding disappear and an officer laid off after just one year into the program.

“The county has committed five years as well,” Morris said.

The department has also anticipated incidents where the resource officer might be called on to answer a call or cover an emergency, Morris said, and return to the school when other resources arrive to take over.

Morris explained AlertSense on the sheriff’s website that notifies subscribers about area emergencies and how to sign up for the service on www.douglascountysheriff.org. He also encouraged citizens to check the sheriff’s Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/douglascountywa keep informed and report incidents.

Morris said his department covers more than 1,800 square miles in Douglas County with 30 commissioned officers, from the Sheriff down and depends on citizen involvement.

“There’s no way we can see and hear everything,” said Morris. We ask the community to be our eyes and ears and we extend the same courtesy to make sure we are their eyes and ears as well.”

Morris also updated the council on the recent Grass Valley wildfire that burned more than 75,000 acres and destroyed 26 non-permanent structures before it was contained.