BELLE — While the city of Belle has not yet hired a school resource officer (SRO) for the 2023-24 school year, Marshal Jerry Coborn said on Monday that his office was planning to arrange a meeting with Superintendent Dr. Lenice Basham to suggest a potential candidate.

Coborn, who took time out of a training event on Monday afternoon that was hosted by the prosecuting attorneys in Pulaski and Maries counties, said they are hoping their part-time officer, Landon Cruser, will be able to take over the SRO position.

“Landon Cruser will probably be school resource officer,” Coborn said. “We will wait to set up a time to meet with the school to get their approval. We will probably get with them (Tuesday). Landon has accepted the position if the school accepts.”

Coborn said the contract for the school resource officer is made between the Maries County R-2 School District and the Belle Police Department, not the city of Belle.

“I work side by side with these guys,” Coborn said. “Landon will take the full-time position if they approve it. If the school approves it, he will go before the city and they will approve making him full-time.”

Coborn said he spoke with Curser on Aug. 16, after he spoke with Mayor Daryl White, Jr., about the part-time officer taking the SRO position at the Maries County R-2 schools.

The city suggested another officer in early August for the school district to consider, but the appointment wasn’t accepted. However, SRO training had already been paid for through the St. Louis Fire and Police Training Academy for the week of Aug. 14-18, so Coborn took the training instead.

“We already had it scheduled,” he said. “Basic SRO training is 40 hours and the city pays for the cost. Since we already had it scheduled, somebody had to go. I am now SRO certified. A couple of months ago I was certified for active shooter instructor training.”

Coborn said if the school accepted Cruser, it would fulfill the contract between the city and the school district as Cruser would be full-time at the school.

Cruser has previous years of experience at the Department of Corrections. After graduating from the police academy, he worked as a part-time reserve officer for Edgar Springs before coming to Belle.

The Maries County Sheriff’s Department moved Tanner Hinson into the SRO position in April to replace Joe Turnbough who was working part-time in the position while running for marshal.

Over the summer Hinson completed SRO training and will begin the school year as a full certified SRO.