Moore County Schools evaluates contract with NC Protection Group to place unarmed officers at elementary schools
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Summary
School leaders recommended a pilot contract with NC Protection Group to staff six elementary sites with unarmed security officers and a supervisor while the district continues recruiting sworn school police; the proposal prompted a divided board debate over outsourcing security versus investing in the district's own police force.
The Moore County Schools Board of Education heard a recommendation on Sept. 2 to pilot a contract with the North Carolina Protection Group to place six unarmed security officers and one supervisor at elementary schools that do not have a full-time school resource officer.
Superintendent John Locklear told the board the proposal is intended to fill gaps created by staffing vacancies in the district's school police and would be paid from budgeted vacancy funds for school police until permanent hires are found. The vendor's statement of work is attached to the executive summary that accompanies the contract recommendation.
Gary Pastor, founder and owner of NC Protection Group, said the firm would provide uniformed, unarmed personnel to patrol campus grounds, assist with de-escalation, conduct threat assessments and recommend low-cost physical upgrades. "The most important thing here is relationships," Pastor said, adding the company will place experienced former law-enforcement officers and school-resource personnel on sites and operate a 24-hour radio communications center that can call law enforcement if needed.
Board members pressed staff and Pastor on several points, including why officers would be unarmed. Pastor and others said North Carolina law restricts carrying weapons on school property to sworn law-enforcement officers, and the contractor's model therefore relies on presence, prevention, communications and coordination with the district's police department.
The contract, as presented, would place security officers at Cameron Elementary, Southern Pines Elementary, Westmore Elementary, West End Elementary, McDeeds Creek Elementary and Sandhills Farm Life Elementary and would include a vendor supervisor who serves as the district's point of contact.
The board split on the proposal. Board member Ken Hensley said he strongly opposed outsourcing the core function and urged a strategic review of the district's school police, arguing sworn officers are needed to stop an active shooter. "This is a band aid," he said, urging long-term changes to recruitment, training and pay for the school police. Other board members, including the superintendent, described the contract as a flexible interim approach and noted Moore County Schools could end the contract on 20 days' notice if the arrangement proved unsatisfactory.
No final contract vote was recorded during the work session; staff brought the recommendation forward for discussion and asked the board for direction on moving the item to a formal action meeting on the regular agenda.
