HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – At the beginning of the 2025 school year, Christian County Public Schools established their new internal police force. This additional allows the district to hire and manage School Resource Officers under the leadership of Clayton Sumner, the director of safety.

Before being hired at CCPS, Sumner was already well known in the community, having served eight years as the Hopkinsville chief of police, along with 20 years on the force. When the opportunity to build the CCPS police was advertised, he decided to come out of retirement to tackle the role.

“I thought it would be neat to start something brand new from the ground up, in essence building a police department,” Sumner told Christian County Now. “The big picture of it is about protecting people…there’s 1,300 staff, about 9,000 students so it’s still bigger than some cities.”

By creating an internal police force, the district is able to independently hire school resource officers, instead of contracting them at a higher price from Hopkinsville Police Department and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office. This change provides them with more flexibility with staffing at a lower cost to the district.

Previously, contracting local SROs cost around $100,000 each, totally around $1 million a year. Through internal hiring they are saving around $20,000 per officer and have the ability to apply for new grant funding to offer additional financial support.

Goals for CCPS Police, changes this school year

While Sumner’s day-to-day duties vary somewhere on a scale between calm and chaotic, in summary he manages the safety of over a dozen buildings in the county. This umbrellas all of the safety aspects of the schools including emergency drills, securing buildings, and managing SROs. During this first year, eight CCPS officers are at the elementary schools and the early learning center.

“Having the SROs on our staff is a gamechanger,” Superintendent Chris Bentzel told Christian County Now. He explained that Sumner and his team are first on the scene during a crisis, utilizing their law enforcement experience to find solutions quickly. “When we had lockdowns before him, I’m going out there as the superintendent…that would be like the mayor of a city going to a car accident.”

CCPS police will also have the time to prioritize truancy cases in the hopes of raising attendance. As they continue to grow, they will also hire an officer that is specifically trained in sexual assault response, with additional SROs to be available to fill in as needed and offer support during extended hours at the early learning center.

“We are hiring officers who want to be in the school,” said Sumner. This new, direct hiring process has filtered employees who are seeking this line of work, allowing SROs to create bonds and trust with students and staff. It also prevents officers from being pulled away from campuses if local law enforcement needed extra hands.

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Tackling community misconceptions about CCPS police

In response to individuals who voiced that CCPS is “creating positions just to create positions”, Bentzel said this is something that has been in the works for multiple years in an effort to save money while providing a better quality of service.

“They’re not mall cops, they’re police officers,” Bentzel clarified. Like before, SROs undergo full law enforcement training which includes completing the police academy. The majority of current hires previously worked in local law enforcement.

Bentzel also said they are presenting the CCPS police model to state legislators as a proof of concept for districts to save money while increasing safety. Although other districts in the state have their own SROs that they hire internally, they are one of the first to go full force with vehicles, contracts, and staffing.

Anticipated security measures at new Christian County High School

Looking toward the 2026-27 school year and the opening of the new Christian County High School, Sumner is hoping to have a full staff of around 16 SROs.

“When we go into the new high school next year, we can’t fail,” said Bentzel. “If we have control of the safety parameters, from the systems to the people to the facility, I think we will limit our risk of failure.”

Safety features at the new CCHS include custom locks with scanners in hallways and doorways, body cameras, weapon detection systems, lockdown features and more. Bentzel added that HPD initially looked at and approved their plans before construction.

“During the daytime when school is in session, it will be the safest place you can be in Christian County,” said Sumner. While the day-to-day tasks may be strenuous, he noted that he has already received feedback about SROs going above and beyond for students and staff at their current schools.

In the future, he is hoping to facilitate a law enforcement pathway for high school students and give them the initial training they need to peruse a career in the field.

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