RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In the wake of the school shooting in Georgia, schools across Central Virginia saw an increased law enforcement presence on Thursday.
In Hanover County, the sheriff’s office made a post on Facebook to make the community aware of an increased police presence at all of the schools in the county.
“The reality is this can happen anywhere in the United States,” said Sgt. Steve Wills with the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials hope the move will provide a sense of security during a troubling time.
“This is not something new. This is something traditionally we do oftentimes when something like this occurs and it depends on the length of time that we increase our presence there,” Wills said.
According to the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, every school in the county already has an assigned deputy, but officials are hoping the extra presence will make a difference.
“Our main focus is just to alleviate the anxiety right now,” Wills said. “The best thing that we can do is just be well prepared in the event we ever have to respond to something like that here.”