photo by: Joselyn King

Ohio County Sheriff Tom Howard oversees the West Virginia PRO Conference happening this week at The Highlands Event Center.

Visitors to The Highlands might likely have noticed a large number of law enforcement vehicles from outside the area parked outside hotels, restaurants and stores there this week.

That’s because the 2023 Annual West Virginia PRO (Prevention Resource Officer) Conference is happening this week at The Highlands Events Center.

The conference began Monday and concludes today, with 140 PROs from across West Virginia attending to receive their annual certification.

“This is one of the most protected places in the state right now,” said Ohio County Sheriff Tom Sheriff of The Highlands. “All you have to do is look out and you see all the police cruisers.

“And the businesses love it. They love having us here.”

He estimated the conference brings about $200,000 into The Highlands during the week. The visiting PROS are stay at hotels within the development and eat meals at the restaurants found there.

Howard added some PROs brought their families with them, and they are school clothes shopping during the day while the conference takes place. Howard became involved and brought the PRO Conference to Ohio County in 2015 – before he was sheriff and when he was a PRO within Ohio County Schools.

Initial conferences attracted 70 participants, but have grown each year, he said.

Howard explained there are networking events scheduled within the conference where the PROs come together and discuss what is happening in their schools, and what actions they are taking to address them.

“The older guys get to talk to the younger guys and share ideas,” he said.

The PROs also have created a database where they can “share ideas on so many different things,” Howard continued. It contains power points that can be tweaked to fit their school, he added.

The difference between a school security officer and a PRO is that the PRO teaches classes and works more directly with the students, he explained.

“The idea behind this is we mentor kids,” Howard said. “We teach kids in ‘non-traditional’ classes. We are there to protect the children, and that is what it is about.

“We just don’t sit in the schools. We’re not a security officer. (PROs) work with the kids, mentor the kids, and work with the counselors.”

Much of the training on the first day of the conference came from Howard and Chief Deputy John Schultz regarding school assessments. The focus on Tuesday was on internet crime during the morning session, and search and seizure techniques in the after.

On Wednesday, the PROs heard from William Ihlenfeld, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia, and members of the FBI on matters they should be aware of happening in the schools. There was also “shoot, don’t shoot” training conducted by the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department’s’ special response team.

On Thursday, there was a focus on a PRO’s situational awareness in their school, and creating school safety initiatives. Awards and certification certificates will be passed out today before the conference concludes at noon.