Georgetown will keep school resource officer as police report rising incidents and recruitment shortfalls

At the May 27 Georgetown Town Council meeting, Chief Holmes, Georgetown’s chief of police, told the council the town will continue to keep its school resource officer (SRO) in place for the coming school year even after the Indian River School District declined to provide funding.

The decision follows a police report that showed a recent surge in calls for service and staffing pressures. “We are gonna continue to have, Officer Melas in the schools serving as the SRO regardless of funding,” Chief Holmes said. He also said the town begins the budget year facing “a $82,000 deficit” tied to the loss of district funding for the position and estimated that the total annual cost for the SRO position—including vehicle and overtime—was about $105,000.

The chief told the council the department handled roughly 1,499 incidents from March 21 through May 25 and that workload has increased year over year. He reported specific recent figures: two robberies (one arrest), 92 assaults (34 arrests), 31 burglaries (six arrests) and 78 fugitives removed. The department recorded 40 crashes, 52 e-tickets, 14 personal-injury collisions, 25 property-damage collisions, one pedestrian fatality and 25 hit-and-run reports in the same period. Calls for service rose to 2,256 compared with 1,714 in the same period last year.

Chief Holmes described recruitment shortfalls: the department received 324 applications through its recruitment platform, sent 266 files on to the background vendor Guardian, and currently has two recruits in the Dover Municipal Police Academy. He said pay differentials with nearby agencies—“$10,000 to $12,000 difference in a year”—hamper hiring and that many applicants do not complete the personal history questionnaire needed to advance.

Public commenters pressed the council to address staffing and retain the SRO. Mark Rogers, a retired Georgetown officer, said the current staffing levels place officers under severe strain and urged the council to form a committee to study recruitment and pay. “I would encourage you and challenge you to do that,” Rogers said, arguing the department should increase staffing beyond current levels.

Resident Sonny Giani urged the council to prioritize safety and consider raising pay or other local funding to retain officers. “If you’re going to be the heart of Sussex County and you have a lousy workforce, it doesn’t make sense,” Giani said.

Resident Adam Bujkowski urged the town to find ways to attract officers and to address visible homelessness and other quality-of-life problems that he said affect downtown safety and livability.

Council members asked questions about contingency plans if the SRO funding is not restored. Chief Holmes said he would “manipulate my budget, within constraints, to fully fund that officer through this next school year” and that doing so will reduce the pool of officers available for patrol. He also confirmed the town’s budget contained unfilled positions; he said the department budgets for 25 officers but currently has fewer.

No formal council vote or ordinance change occurred on the SRO funding or staffing during the meeting. The council heard the report and public comment and did not take formal action to change the budget at the session. Chief Holmes and several public speakers said they will return information to council if additional budget adjustments or policy actions are required.

Why this matters: the SRO provides daily continuity at Georgetown schools and the chief argued that losing the position would reduce the ability to respond efficiently to school incidents. The council received detailed operational data that highlights rising workload and the potential budgetary trade-offs the town faces if it absorbs school costs.

The issue remains subject to future council review if the Indian River School District revisits its funding decision or if the town manager or council proposes a formal budget amendment.