Tuesday marked a day of transition in the law enforcement presence at Grayson County Middle School (GCMS) and Wilkey Elementary School.
School Resource Officer (SRO) Seth Payne is leaving law enforcement after a lengthy career with Kentucky State Police, followed by three years as a member of the Leitchfield Police Department where he served as SRO at GCMS and Wilkey.
“The Leitchfield Police Department would like to wish a blessed farewell to one of our Officers and wish the best of luck and success to another as some recent personnel changes have taken place within the agency,” LPD said about the change.
Payne said his time as SRO gave him a greater understanding and admiration for the people charged with educating our children.
“I have a greater respect for the personnel at these schools now, after seeing the inner workings of the school,” Payne said. “They work very hard and aren’t paid near enough for what they do.”
Payne, who’s leaving the SRO position to concentrate his time on his personal business, added that his job was easy when compared to the work done by the schools’ administrations, teachers and staff.
“LPD wishes the very best to Officer Payne in his future ventures and is very thankful for his service to our schools and our agency. Payne was very innovative in his time at GCMS and Wilkey, and his heart for service showed toward the student he has impacted,” LPD said.
Replacing Payne as SRO at GCMS and Wilkey is longtime LPD Officer Todd Oller.
A 13-year LPD veteran, Oller said he looks forward to his new role within the department, as he stated that he is “excited about this new chapter in my career and I look forward to building relationships with students and staff.”
Oller’s wife, Lisa, is the music teacher at Wilkey, which gives Oller a leg up as he is at least somewhat familiar with the schools’ routines as well as the school environment.
“Officer Todd Oller’s presence on the streets will be missed but his experience and deep knowledge of law enforcement will bid him well in his new assignment,” LPD stated. “Officer Oller’s mindset toward enforcement and investigations will provide the schools with a tremendous resource moving forward.”
(Photo l-r: New GCMS/Wilkey SRO, Officer Todd Oller, outgoing SRO, Officer Seth Payne)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
