Carson City schools, supervisors OK resource officers deal

Carson City Sheriff’s Deputy Daniel Henneberger is going back to school soon with the help of a School Safety Grant.

He said he looks forward to spending time with kids again.

He joins veteran Sgt. Earl Mayes, a fellow officer in the Carson City School District’s School Resource Officer program that has added a sergeant and deputy for a two-year period, thanks to an agreement ratified between the city and the school district in an effort to improve safety for local schools.

The city’s Board of Supervisors approved its part of the agreement on Oct. 17. The Carson City School Board met on Oct. 22 and gave its authorization to do the same, with Superintendent Richard Stokes introducing Mayes and Henneberger and explaining that a total of $10 million had been approved in the 2019 legislative session for school safety. The agreement brings the district from a total of three to five available officers who are stationed at various schools, including two at Carson High, to help where needed.

“We just need more people, more individuals in school in a law enforcement position and first responders to help keep the peace,” Stokes told the board.

Mayes began with the program on a part-time basis and moved to full-time when the grant was first approved. He is stationed at Carson High School.

Henneberger has been with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office for four years. He hasn’t started as a school resource officer yet but will begin at Fremont Elementary School where he can be centralized to multiple schools and go where he’s needed most.

Carson City School District received $1.15 million in funding for school safety. Of that amount, the School Safety grant totals $626,160.05 for fiscal years 2020 and 2021, and $500,000 is for school safety facility improvements as indicated in a Homeland Security assessment, according to a district press release.