Deputy Simon named Shelby school resource officer

Deputy Tim Simon

Deputy Simon named Shelby school resource officer

‘Deputy Simon has been an assistant varsity baseball coach, and it’s not a stretch to say he bleeds purple. There are not enough good things to say about Deputy Simon, and we know he will be a great member to the team in Shelby.’

Tiger Pride is a presentation of Shelby Public Schools in partnership with Oceana County Press. 

SHELBY — When the 2023-24 school year begins, students will be greeted by a new school resource officer aimed at ensuring their safety.

Oceana County Sheriff’s Deputy Tim Simon will be assigned to Shelby Public Schools as the district’s school resource officer beginning Aug. 21. 

Deputy Simon is a 25-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and is a 1993 graduate of Shelby High School’s purple-and-white Tigers. 

“Deputy Simon is committed to the community he has lived in his entire life, and we believe he is going to do amazing things in the schools,” said Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast.

Shelby Public Schools and the Shelby Police Department were awarded a Michigan State Police – Cops in Schools grant last January for $165,232 over three years. 

With the shortage of police officers statewide, Shelby Police Chief Dean Roesler approached the sheriff’s office in June to see if the sheriff’s office might be able to assist by staffing the position. “They, like many other agencies, are short staffed and unable to fill vacancies,” said Sheriff Mast. The Oceana County Board of Commissioners unanimously supported the partnership with the Village of Shelby.  

“Deputy Simon is a well-known deputy in our community where he currently lives with his wife and two sons,” said Sheriff Mast. “Deputy Simon has been in charge of our marine division for 19 years and does a fantastic job.” 

Simon is also a car seat technician and a hunter education instructor for the sheriff’s office. 

“Deputy Simon has been an assistant varsity baseball coach, and it’s not a stretch to say he bleeds purple. There are not enough good things to say about Deputy Simon, and we know he will be a great member to the team in Shelby.

“Our goal with this program is to make another one of our schools a safer place for our students. There are SRO programs in Pentwater and Hart already, and we are excited that Shelby will also have a law enforcement presence. Establishing positive relationships with students and staff will be the number one priority. We are thankful for Mr. (Mark) Olmstead and the SPS staff who have helped this partnership.”

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.

This story is copyrighted © 2023, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.