Earl Smith retired from the Onondaga County Sheriff ‘s Office last Monday after 30 years of service. He spent the last 14 years working in internal affairs, investigating other cops for misconduct.
At the Marcellus Village Board meeting Monday Aug. 22, Smith was sworn in as the new School Resource Officer of Marcellus Central Schools. It ‘s a different ball game, but Smith has developed his approach to fit the bill.
“I ‘m not gonna go up there with the attitude to scare them, Smith said. “I’m gonna go up there with the attitude that they’ll respect me because I respect them it ‘s a partnership.
Smith sees visibility as the most important part of the job.
“Number one, you’re visible and you’re available to students, he said. “Students have problems sometimes they don’t want to talk to their parents or guardians about, but if you get a rapport with them they’ll come to you with issues.
Smith looks forward to getting to know the students, though to many he ‘ll already be a familiar face. For the past 15 years, Smith has visited Marcellus High School to talk to Andy Hunter ‘s Constitutional law class about the fourth amendment.
Even those who haven ‘t been in Hunter ‘s class might recognize him ” as the cop with a drug canine.
Marcellus Chief of Police Robert Wicks speaks highly of Smith, and he ought to ” Smith was one of Wicks ‘ training officers in the 1980s. Wicks said Smith ‘s experience with narcotics investigation should prove an asset to the school.
“[The school] is concerned with the drugs in the community, Wicks said. “He ran the drug unit for years with the sheriff’s office.
Smith also brings experience with violence prevention, having once been the county ‘s assistant swat commander. He plans to work with the school to assess its levels of risk and vulnerability.
“The object is to keep the kids safe and to have a safe environment, Smith said. “If you have kids in school that are bullying other kids, who wants to go to school?
