Article written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on February 25, 2026, link to article HERE.
The School Safety Officers program was started in 2023 when Berkeley County Schools leadership wanted to add a new level of security. Though they partner with local law enforcement to have Student Resource Officers in the high schools, they wanted someone to be present at all the schools to help in an emergency. However, as Dean Olack, Berkeley County School Director of School Safety, explained, there weren’t enough law enforcement officers.
“It would be my goal to have a safety officer or a police officer in every single school,” Olack said. “It’s just not possible and practical based on the amount of calls and the volume of calls that the panhandle covers and a limited amount of officers we have.”
Berkeley County Schools decided to hire their own officers, many of which are retired law enforcement. Robert Harvey, SSO at Martinsburg South Middle School, first heard about the position on the radio. He thought it would be a great way to give back to the community and decided to apply.
Since August, Harvey has worked hard to build trust with students while also making sure everyone felt safe and secure. He starts the school day by welcoming students so they would have a positive interaction to start their day on the right note. Once all the students are there, Harvey will begin security checks and patrol the building, checking all the entrances and ensuring a safe environment. Harvey explained that SSOs are designed to take a proactive approach to safety, meaning it’s his goal to prevent safety emergencies from happening in the first place. By catching kids when there’re young, they can help steer them to a better path.
For Harvey, one of the most rewarding parts of his position is simply having a positive impact on both students and teachers. It always goes back to the people, and since he started the as the SSO at South Middle, he’s been impressed with the leadership and enjoyed working with the staff
“Being able to provide positive contributions back to the community is probably one of the most rewarding,” Harvey said. “I’ve always felt like educators and teachers were very noble professions when I was growing up. I have a lot of respect for them and now being in that support role is really rewarding.”
Berkeley County Schools currently has nine SSOs, which include one at the six middle schools and three for the intermediate schools. Olack hopes the program continues to grow, and Berkeley County Schools will be able to have an officer at every school in the future.