Law Enforcement at Elementary Schools in OC

Law enforcement officers from the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and from the Seneca, Walhalla and Westminster Police Departments will be present Thursday morning at elementary schools in Oconee County as school goes into session. “The School District of Oconee County has requested that a law enforcement officer be present at each elementary school in Oconee County as a way to reassure elementary school students and parents that everything is okay and it is safe to attend school,” says Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw. “I want to emphasize that no threats have been made to schools in Oconee County but we are doing this once again to reassure everyone, especially our students, that law enforcement cares about them and our desire is to keep them safe. Law enforcement officers will be there from 7:30am until 8:30am when students arrive and school goes into session. Our School Resource Officers assigned to other schools in the county will be there for their routine safety and security operations. We are issuing this release so our citizens know what is going on and to keep them informed and make sure they are not alarmed if they see officers at their child’s school Thursday morning.” The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office will have deputies at Ravenel, Fair Oak, Orchard Park, Tamassee and Keowee Elementary Schools, plus, deputies will also be Eagle Ridge Charter School in Salem and at Oconee Christian Academy and the Hamilton Career Center. The Seneca Police Department will have officers at Blue Ridge and Northside Elementary. The Walhalla Police Department will have officers at James M. Brown and Walhalla Elementary Schools. The Westminster Police Department will have officers at Westminster Elementary School. After the shooting at Townville Elementary School Wednesday afternoon in Anderson County, all schools across the School District of Oconee County were placed on a code yellow and officers were sent to the area schools as a safety precaution. Deputies from many of the divisions of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office responded to Townville Elementary after the first reports of the shooting and provided assistance in regards to personnel and resources at the request of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.