Vernon County Sheriff Jason Mosher addresses guns in schools questions

1. Without revealing anything that might assist a would-be school invader, what have you done to keep it from happening in Vernon County schools?

“The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office trains its staff on a regular basis on active shooter response and preparedness. We train for the worst and hope for the best. We also provide training to our staff on signs to look out for when answering calls, that could be red flags or warning signs of possible threats involving students and/or the schools.”

2. Have there been any such incidents in Vernon County Schools with gun, knife or other weapons?

“There have been a few incidents that were followed up on by deputies or investigators outside of the schools out of precaution, but none that were of any immediate threat.”

3. Do you favor allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons in classrooms? Why or why not?

“I wouldn’t have a problem with schools appointing certain staff as school safety officers as long as the training they receive is adequate. Training requirements need to be a top consideration when these types of positions are appointed. I would like to see training requirements that focuses specifically on school environments and not just the standard CCW training.”   

4. Do you favor allowing administrators to carry concealed weapons on campus? Why or why not?

“From a law enforcement perspective, I don’t see an issue with this, however it again comes down to the type of training that is required. “

5. Do you favor arming school custodial staff? Why or why not?

“I would favor a program that allowed schools to designate safety officers within their staff once they had met adequate training.”

6. What kind of training do you think should be required if you favor Questions 3, 4 or 5?

“Training requirements should not be taken lightly and should be regulated by the state under POST or set by legislation so there is a clear standard that has to be met. Taking steps to make schools safer is everyone’s goal, but we need to make sure that anyone who would be acting as a safety officer has the right training first.”

7. What is your position on School Resource Officers? Why or why not?

“When there is funding to provide a School Resource Officer, it can greatly benefit the school, the children and community. Besides adding a level of safety to the schools, the resource officer often teaches D.A.R.E and other educational classes for the schools and has the ability to connect with the children in the schools in a way that can be difficult for officers who do not work with the children on a daily basis.”

8. Do you have any? Are you going to be able to find the financing to provide some SROs?

“Vernon County has one full-time SRO and one deputy who serves as a part-time SRO. We have been looking at grants and other funding opportunities as a possibility of increasing the SRO coverage we currently provide.”