Sheriff pledges aid to DISD

By Breyana Segura - Chief Staff Writer | December 20, 2023

School needs police coverage

Frio County Sheriff Mike Morse is vowing to provide assistance at Dilley High School after the school district administration sought police protection.
Dilley ISD Superintendent Kelly DuBose said the district needs law enforcement coverage that an allegedly understaffed city police department cannot provide, and also reported that the school district is “in the red” on its budget expenditures.
“As you know, the city of Dilley sometimes only has one officer on duty because they are never fully staffed,” DuBose said in a meeting Tuesday, December 12. “We had to file for an exemption because we do not have it in our budget. There are many days I am left without an officer.”
According to County Attorney Joseph Sindon, House Bill 3 requires school districts to have armed peace officers on every campus.
Sindon outlined two options the county has to provide the mutual aid for the school district that include amending the budget to provide a deputy immediately or waiting for Senate Bill 22 funding.
“If the sheriff’s office agrees to send a deputy down there that does not require us to amend our budget in any way,” the county attorney said. “The problem is they would be down a deputy. The law requires the officer be there during any instructional time. The other option is to wait until we receive Senate Bill 22 money then the sheriff’s office could decide if they want to assign an officer down there.
“The decision rests with the sheriff’s office and how they want to utilize personnel,” Sindon added. He also said any decision would require the county to enter a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the school district based on requirements of the house bill.
“If they borrow an officer, they are still employees of the sheriff’s office, not the school district,” Sindon said.
The bill was passed before the county’s budget was accepted.
“It was in our budget but the former Dilley superintendent said they did not want it,” Pct. 3 Comm. Raul Carrizales said.
Frio County Auditor Crystal Marquez supported Carrizales’ claim and said the county had budgeted for half of a deputy’s salary. Although the position was not filled, the county has used the funds for another deputy.
According to Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho, the school district is coming to a point of establishing its own police department.
“I am worried about manpower,” the county judge said. “Regardless of any situation, our county law enforcement is always going to be there if something happens.”
“We do not have the means to form a police department,” DuBose said. “Before [the budget] was passed, there was another superintendent. It was stated that they thought we could have one school resource officer, since high school and junior high are one building.”
DuBose said that notion was negated and clarified in August when school began; since then the superintendent has been seeking aid from various sources.
“I do not have a guardian program yet; I am working on that,” DuBose said. “Even if I start that program, I am down an officer. I reached out to the county because I need the support. I have even reached out to the male mentors to come open doors, watch the cafeteria. Anytime you all send deputies the presence is different. We have it in our budget to go fifty-fifty, but student safety is my concern.”
Camacho said she would leave the decision to the sheriff.
Pct. 4 Comm. Danny Cano expressed his concern over police presence in the community and the school district.
“It is not a hard decision to make,” the commissioner said. “If something happens in Pearsall you have police, the sheriff’s office, three SROs, and if something were to happen in Dilley it will be bad; you only have Dilley police. If we have no deputies in Dilley how long is it going to take before we see them? Thirty minutes?”
Dilley ISD Business Manager Brenda Trevino has indicated the district received $200,000 in funding for security, but funds were provided with stipulations that included fencing, ballistic window film and security cameras.
“We only have two officers and we went to the city first but they cannot because they do not have the staff,” Trevino said.
Senate Bill 22 gives sole spending responsibility to sheriff’s departments.
“We originally thought we were going to create another position but that did not happen,” Chief Deputy Peter Salinas said. “Now we have senate bill money coming down the pipe we were already getting ready to present a compensation plan for the spending of the entire $350,000 that the state is allotting us. Included in that was a request for an additional deputy. What we were thinking when someone comes asking for aid, we do not want to let them down, as difficult as it may be because we are stretched. We could essentially assign a deputy at the school district for the reminder of year and split it fifty-fifty and then come back during budget season and have talks if this is a long sustained program.”
Salinas said the department could replace that position at the school district with the senate bill position and not take any law enforcement coverage from the streets.
“I realize we are spread very thin but I do not think I could sleep at night if something happened to one of those kids,” Sheriff Morse said. “We have to do the right thing. So yes, we will do it.”
The chief deputy said an officer would be specifically assigned to the high school campus.
“We would not pull them,” Salinas said. “I mean it would have to be World War III. They will be there. I started the police department at the school; it is invaluable to have officers there to establish those relationships. Between the sheriff and I, we are planning on starting this after the Christmas holidays.”