Let’s be transparent. When residents of Clay County learned that responsibility for the safety of Clay County students was shifting from the School District Police to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, there was some concern—mainly fear of the unknown. It is unlikely that anyone doubted that the great men and women of the Sheriff’s Office could handle the task and keep our kids safe, but (more likely) there was concern about the logistics of the transfer. Would the transition be seamless? Would the students be able to connect to the new deputies? Would the school staff and deputies work well together? Nearly three months into the new school year, and it appears that the answers to all of these questions are a resounding “yes!” While the fantastic team of School Resource Officers (SROs) made it look easy, this transition has proven to be a heavy lift.
On this day, we are spending time with Director Patrick Golemme of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. When the School Board gave the final approval for the reintroduction of deputies into the schools, Sheriff Michelle Cook tasked Director Golemme with the monumental task of identifying every loose end, addressing those areas, and creating a formidable team. In spite of his busy schedule, Director Golemme took the time to share some insights with the citizens of Clay County. The first thing we wanted to know was just how big of a challenge this new mission created.
“Without a doubt, the biggest challenge was the integration process,” shared Golemme. “We had to create a team, and we had to do it quickly. We brought over 25 of SROs from the Clay District Schools Police Department that were interested in the new role and who matched our standards. Then we pulled in new folks from our current team of deputies and supervisors, and we hired some external candidates to round out the team. In a desire to be fiscally responsible, we used as much of the existing equipment that we possibly could. We even re-labeled the fleet of existing vehicles and re-deployed them. Our contract with the School Board began on July 1, 2024, and that gave us just over a month to select our team, equip them, provide comprehensive training, and deploy them into our schools.”
When asked about how well the SROs worked with the short timetable, Golemme doesn’t hesitate to praise the new team, “This team understood that we needed to integrate our cultures and match them to the current structure within the Sheriff’s Office. There was a great willingness to become a team—they truly rose to the occasion.”
What a lot of readers may not realize is that this training and teamwork was put to a critical (and life-threatening) test just three days into the new school year. “One of our schools received a call about a domestic dispute that was about to spill over into the school in the form of a potential armed confrontation and kidnapping. Without hesitation, our SRO and FTO (Field Training Officer) locked the school down and prepared to confront the individual if he tried to enter school grounds. Because the SROs and the Sheriff’s Office are one organization, the communication and coordination between the school and our patrol deputies was seamless. A Clay County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant observed a vehicle matching the description that the caller provided and conducted a felony stop just as the vehicle was reaching school grounds. Though armed, the individual was taken into custody without incident and school was able to return to normal shortly thereafter,” shared Golemme. “It was a win. A big win.”
Asked if there had been any other wins in the first few months of the school year, Golemme replied, “Yes. Lots of wins. Every single day. Our SROs began on day one engaging the students and teachers. Yes, they manage the threat assessments, but they also celebrate birthdays, race the kids when challenged, and we’ve even observed a deputy or two playing on the playground with the kids. The kids genuinely love the SROs and the SROs genuinely love the kids.”
Now in his 34th year of law enforcement, we asked Director Golemme to share his experience and perspective regarding the recent rash of online threats against schools that have often been made by students. “With easy access to social media, these threats are definitely on the rise. At the CCSO, we take every threat seriously. We investigate each tip we receive to see if it rises to the level of a threat, and we handle those threats accordingly. If I could say one thing to the parents out there, I would tell them to please talk to your children regarding online threats. This isn’t a game and it isn’t a joke. Those online comments that started out as humor or childish bickering can quickly rise to the level of a felony. Once we cross that threshold, our options as deputies are quite limited. We have received over six dozen tips this school year, and it is often surprising to a student and their family when we have to conduct an arrest. We don’t enjoy having to throw a family’s life into turmoil, but we’re always going to make school safety a priority.”
In closing, Sheriff Michelle Cook, Director Golemme and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office applaud the partnership with School Superintendent David Broskie, Director of School Safety Matt Boyack, and the administration and staff at all of the Clay County Schools. There are a lot more resources available with this new structure, and the SROs are dedicated to making this a safe and fun school year. Students and parents are reminded that they can submit a tip regarding suspicious activity through the FortifyFL site (ftf.myoneclay.net), SaferWatch app, by contacting the Clay County Sheriff’s Office via email at schoolsafety@claysheriff.com or through CCSO emergency or non-emergency numbers.