News from March 2, 2006 issue



Schools hiring policeman
There will be daily police presence at Crittenden County middle and high schools at the start of the next school year.

A uniformed officer with full arrest powers will be walking the halls and monitoring student behavior in an attempt to deter criminal activity that has escalated, officials say, in recent months.

The Crittenden County Board of Education recently approved a plan to hire a resource officer who will be on duty each of the 175 days students are in school starting next August. The officer will be a deputy sheriff employed through the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department, with his/her salary funded by the school system.

The pact is still being worked out between the school system and sheriff's department, but Superintendent John Belt said the position will cost the school district between $20,000-$25,000 annually.

Recent deliberate, criminal-type activity such as thefts, a bomb threat, an assault and a fire set to intentionally activate the sprinkler system are samples of some of the escalation in bad behavior at the schools.

The superintendent said officials think a full-time officer might help deter that type of behavior, which in some cases is indeed criminal.

Administrators have discussed the benefits of police presence at the schools, but the idea was reinforced through a safety assessment report issued by the Kentucky Center for School Safety.

"We were already aware of the need because of the way the buildings are laid out, the cul-de-sacs, blind alleys and the caliber of the discipline problems," Belt said.
A committee involved in developing the school district's 2007 budget identified the resource officer as a top priority.

Sheriff Wayne Agent hopes to name someone by July 1 to serve as the resource officer, perhaps someone already employed by his department. The officer will be a graduate of the Kentucky Criminal Justice Police Academy.

CCHS Principal Karen Nasseri said Marion Police are summoned to the high school once a month on average, but she said there are other occasions when police are not called but would be beneficial.

"I was very, very excited to know it is a top priority," Nasseri said. "It will be a benefit to have them here if there are fights in the hallway, or harassment, petty theft or bullying, we can use (an officer) for other situations we're not calling them for now."

Nasseri and Belt also say the resource officer will help deter bad behavior and perhaps drug use while also helping to build a relationship between the officer and the students.

"Students should know (the officer) will be here to help us and to participate in daily activities, not just in negative things."

Nasseri said having an officer on campus will help respond immediately to issues that she and the assistant principal often spend hours investigating. While some student behavior might warrant criminal charges ­ in the form of assault, theft or criminal mischief ­ all of those situations which might result in court action will also be punishable through school disciplinary actions.

The resource officer will also play a large role in the general safety of students, monitoring activities between classes and students whose schedule requires them to walk between Rocket Arena and the back of the high school.

"This person may be asked to speak to classes on appropriate subjects and will be a benefit in multiple ways," Belt said.

Belt was assistant superintendent in Union County when that school district began employing a resource officer. He said the school realized a tremendous benefit from it. He said it's becoming more common for schools to employ uniformed officers.
Speaking as both a parent and chief of police, Kenneth Winn supports the idea for a resource officer.

"I think they need it, it's a good idea," he said. "We spend more and more time at the high school and middle school, and if (the officer) is there all the time, maybe some of these situations wouldn't occur. It's money well spent.

"As a parent with a freshman there, I think it's good preventative medicine."

Mineral show planned for June
Rocks, minerals, gems and precious stones will be the main attraction June 3-4 during the first Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum Gem and Mineral Show in Marion.
Rock and mineral clubs are as popular among a certain segment of enthusiasts as quilts, antiques and baseball cards for others, said Alan Goldstein, a "rock hound" and interpretive naturalist for the Falls of the Ohio Park near Louisville.

Goldstein is providing consultation and direction for the local group organizing this summer's rock and mineral show.

"Collecting is an instinctual thing," Goldstein explained. "In the case of rock and mineral collectors, they are generally people who are interested in the earth's history or just pretty things like fluorite specimens."

Bill Frazer, a member of the Clement Mineral Museum board of directors, thinks the June show will draw a big crowd, but it's too early to know just how many might show up.

"This could eventually be as big as the quilters show in Paducah," Frazer said, pointing out that similar events across the country attract anywhere from 500 to 10,000 people.

An Internet search of "rock clubs" located more than two million matches. It's big business, Frazer says, and Marion has one of the most prized collections in the world. The rare stones and minerals at the Clement museum are coveted by researches and so-called rock hounds from Salem to Singapore.
The event will be held at the fairgrounds and will use the Lions Club facilities, Frazer said. Vendors, displays, traders and clubs will all be showing off their stones and gems.

"People collect them for a variety of reasons," Frazer said, "mostly because they're pretty or unusual."

Crittenden County is a highly sought area for rock hunters, he explained. As many as 30 rock and mineral diggers have in the past rented his farm for a single day of excavation.

A dig, perhaps at various sites, will be part of the gem and mineral show.
Goldstein said the dig is what really attracts rock enthusiasts all across the demographic spectrum.

"Some shows have fossil piles where a local quarry has brought in truck load of rocks and dump them out. At times, you can't even see the pile for all of the people on it looking for fossils," Goldstein explained. "Have a dig is a big attraction, too."

Goldstein says rock and gem collectors are very supportive of such events. "They will come in and bring the whole family so you need to have something for all of them."
Marketing will be the key factor in how big the local show turns out, Frazer and Goldstein both say.

Marion Tourism Director Michele Edwards says the tourism commission is committed to help with the show's promotion and marketing.

"I think this has some great potential," Edwards said.

Frazer said the ultimate goal of the show is to create new exposure for the Clement Mineral Museum and to create a boost for the local economy.

"We think it will be well attended and we plan to make this an annual event," he said.