YORK COUNTY, SC (YCSO NEWS) – On June 13, 2019 the South Carolina Association of School Resource Officers (SCASRO) awarded York County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer Tonya Bennett the 2019 Upstate Regional School Resource Officer of the Year and the Eric Bamberg School Resource Officer of the Year for the entire state of South Carolina. The awards recognize Bennett’s significant contributions to the York County Sheriff’s Office SRO Program along with her hard work and dedication to maintaining a safe and nurturing environment within the schools and communities she serves.
The SCASRO receives nominations within four regions throughout the state and from the four regional school resource officers of the year they choose the state’s school resource officer of the year. Bennett was nominated by the staff at Castle Heights Middle School in Rock Hill. where she has worked as a school resource officer for 15 years.
In the nomination letters from the staff at CHMS, Bennett is described as “an exemplary individual with a commitment to law enforcement and more importantly to the public in which she serves.” CHMS staff went on to ask that Bennett be recognized for her “self-motivation, dependability and determination over the years.”
“We’re so proud of Tonya’s well deserved awards. Her passion for young people and her love for the Sheriff’s Office are evident,” said Sheriff Kevin Tolson. “I’m so happy to see Tonya’s hard work and dedications pay off.”
The York County Sheriff’s Office has School Resource Officers in two high schools, three middle schools and one elementary school.
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