Hope Carlisle is the Pike County Sheriff’s Office Deputy of the Year.

Carlisle serves as the PCSO’s School Resource Officer and Sheriff Russell Thomas said Carlisle dedication to the job helps ensure the safety of the county’s students.

“As an SRO, Officer Carlisle goes above and beyond her duties, not only in ensuring the safety and security of the students and staff, but also fostering positive relationships and trust throughout the schools,” Thomas said. “She has worked directly with investigators on numerous calls and cases involving students within the Pike County School System. Hope is an invaluable asset and is extremely well versed in the school’s security features along with being well equipped, which prepares her to face a myriad of situations.”

Carlisle said she came from a family with a police and military background and served with the Troy Police Department for 10 years before joining the PCSO in 2014.

“When I joined the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, I had already been working with schools,” Carlisle said. “I loved making a difference in the lives of the students. I talk to them a lot about safety and doing the right thing. I just really love working with kids. I just fell in love with being an SRO.”

Carlisle said being named the Deputy of the Year was unexpected.

“It was really surprising,” she said. “It caught me off guard. It’s really a great honor. I just always try to be nice and respectful to people and help them. That’s what I do every day. So, it was a really nice surprise to be recognized.”

Carlisle said she tries to instill the same values in students that she tries to instill in her children.

“I teach my children about what I call the ABC’s,” Carlisle said. “Attitude. Behavior. Choice. I tell them to always have a good attitude and good behavior. I want them to understand that their choices, good or bad, have consequences and those consequences will have an impact on your future.”