Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sro Conduct topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
POST subcommittee takes no action on Unicoi County SRO after staff described troubling comments and resignation
Summary
The POST informal subcommittee voted for no action on Unicoi County deputy and SRO Steven Smith after hearing staff concerns that he told school staff he might shoot outside responders and after Smith said his remarks were prompted by safety worries; commissioners advised future hiring agencies to consider psychological screening.
The Tennessee POST informal hearing subcommittee decided to take no action on a complaint about Steven Smith, a deputy who served as a school resource officer in Unicoi County, after staff described statements that school staff found alarming.
Sergeant Thomas Smith, an investigator with the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department, told the panel that staff and teachers at Unicoi County Elementary School reported Smith had made statements criticizing school policy and had said he would "probably shoot" outside officers he believed lacked authority in the school. Sergeant Thomas Smith said the chief deputy had growing concerns about Smith’s mental stability and saw him as a potential liability; Smith resigned while an internal investigation was underway.
Steven Smith told the subcommittee he was reacting to concerns about school safety after a distant school shooting and that his comments referenced his prior military experience and a belief that locked interior classroom doors would improve safety. He said he regretted how his words were received and that he resigned because he no longer wanted to work for the sheriff’s department.
Commissioners discussed the importance of relationship-building for SROs, mental-health screening and the limits of school policy on interior door locking. Commissioner Spangler moved for no action and Commissioner Wright seconded; the subcommittee voted to take no action but suggested that any hiring agency be advised to conduct a psychological evaluation before employment.
The no-action decision leaves Smith’s POST certification intact for now; commissioners noted the record and advised caution for future employers.
