From crime scenes to classrooms: Former detective turns focus to keeping Harrison County schools safe

“Having 10,000 students and 1,600 staff members is quite a challenge sometimes,” Snider said. “But in the end, it is gratifying to be able to ensure the safety of the students and staff in Harrison County.

Jimmy Lopez, assistant superintendent of Harrison County Schools, said Snider fits in well.

“He brings in a wealth of knowledge into the position,” Lopez said, “which in turn really brings in another perspective when it comes to school safety. His background in law enforcement is great to have in the Harrison County Schools system. He works well with the facilities’ faculty and all of the maintenance staff as well.”

Dora Stutler, superintendent of Harrison Country Schools, shared the same sentiment.

“Having Jason with us provides a wealth of new information to the schools,” she said. “His resources are absolutely tremendous for the county. He provides so much insight from his 25 years in law enforcement.”

Switching career tracks has been a big transition, Snider said.

“Coming from being in law enforcement for 25 years, we always had the state lawbook that we went by. Things are handled a lot differently compared to being in law enforcement and being a school safety director,” Snider said.

“The biggest difference is using our policies on a day-to-day basis on infractions that happen in the schools,” Snider said. “It’s a big change, but it’s overall been a positive change for me. It’s just been a huge transition coming from what I used to do in my former life.”

Snider has several responsibilities that include handling all workers’ compensation cases for the school system.

But keeping schools safe is the first priority.

“Since he started, he has helped implement even more safety measures,” Lopez said. “He has worked to implement programs that would allow for the installation of metal detectors in the schools, which is another deterrent for unnecessary paraphernalia coming into the schools. Since he started here, he has also helped get several more secure entrances installed in the schools.”

Stutler said she couldn’t be happier with Snider’s knowledge on active shootings.

“One of the bigger areas he has helped is in our active shooting drills,” she said. “He has done an excellent job of keeping us on track for our active shooter trainings. On top of that, he makes sure that our crisis plans are updated.”

Keeping staff educated is among his chief concerns, Snider said, “especially when it comes to keeping the principals up to date on current trends,” he said. “Another key thing that is important is communication. Any sort of changes we need to make, we need to make sure that our staff is informed on said changes. Relaying information to the principals is just as important as relaying information to the superintendent.”

Communication with law enforcement also is essential, Snider said.

“One of the areas I think we excel the most is our communication with law enforcement,” he said. “We work extremely closely with local first responders. I think that is where every county could improve. We try to work on our communication with law enforcement every day.”