SRO BV Cathey is one of eight School Resource Officers the McNairy County Sheriff’s Office has put in each of the county’s eight campuses. Stationed at the Bethel Elementary School, SRO Cathey loves spending time with the students there. He high-fives, fist-bumps, and hugs each student he comes in contact with. He has even been known to tie a shoe or two.
SRO Cathey has 35 years as a law enforcement professional. He received his BS in Criminal Justice from UT Martin. He also received a commission as an Officer in the United States Army through their ROTC Program, choosing Military Police as his branch. After active duty he moved on to the National Guard, where he was assigned to a joint task force. A short time later he was deployed to the Middle East where he served during Desert Shield/Storm.
Upon his return from the Middle East, Officer Cathey joined former McNairy County Sheriff Robert Lee’s staff as a Jailer and Dispatcher. He soon became a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office, a role he maintained until he accepted an opportunity to teach.
“Growing up I heard numerous stories from people that had been a Boy Scout in my father’s scout troop,” said Cathey. “They told me how he had inspired them in life. Because of this, I always thought it would be good to be a teacher. So when Scott Powers informed me he was moving on from his Criminal Justice teaching position at MCHS, I asked for the job. I taught two years. Two of the current SROs are my former students.”
“I loved watching the kids eyes light up when they finally understood the subject,” said Cathey. “I also realized that I was sometimes the only adult that paid attention to them.”
“Even though I loved that job, I decided to go back into law enforcement,” said Cathey. “I worked 18 years as a Special Agent for the State of Tennessee. After changes at the state level, I decided to come back home and begun working at the Selmer Police Department. But, I missed working with kids. I had helped raise my wonderful nieces and missed being the human jungle gym for the kids at church. When I was offered one of the new SRO positions I jumped at the chance.”
“I want to provide a positive influence to our young people,” said SRO Cathey. “I want them to see that the ‘PoPo’ are people just like them. I want them to see it is okay to hold themselves to a higher standard.”
“Because I am getting to the end of my career, I do not want to go through the process of becoming a teacher again,” said SRO Cathey. “This is the perfect job to make a difference. I took a large pay cut to come home, but the opportunity to protect and hopefully inspire our most important assets, our children, so they can become the best they can be, is worth it. I love this job and I know that the officers who chose to be SROs are the best and will do all they can to protect and inspire our students. These are my kids here at Bethel Elementary. I love each and every one of them.”
Putting eight SROs in each of the county’s schools became possible thanks to funding being provided by the McNairy County Commission and McNairy County School Board. Joining SRO Cathey as law enforcement professionals in local schools are SRO Dameon Blue - Adamsville High School, SRO Aaron Dickey - Adamsville Elementary School, SRO Wes Moore - McNairy Central High School, SRO Jason Gray – Michie Elementary School, SRO Sam Grooms – Ramer Elementary School, SRO Mary Kate Haines – Selmer Elementary School, and SRO Nicholas Inman – Selmer Middle School. Each week the McNairy County News will spotlight an SRO and the campus they serve.
Thank you to SRO Cathey and each of the SROs for the role they’ve chosen to play in the local school system.
Original source can be found here
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