MADISON LOCAL SCHOOLS RESOURCE OFFICER

3/06/2007

            I grew up in Madison and graduated from Madison High School in 1984. I started with the Madison Township Police Department in 1988. I have an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice Studies, a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Management.

I have been the Schools Resource Officer (SRO) since the start of the program in Madison in 1999. The police department received a COPS grant for the start of the program. The grant has since ended and the cost of the program is split between the police department and the schools.

            The SRO program now includes Officer Ken Moles, a retired full time police officer from Madison Township. Officer Moles is also a Madison High School Graduate. He serves as the SRO at the middle school for 24 hours a week.

            What does an SRO do in the schools? The SRO concept started in England about 50 years ago and has grown across our country especially with the COPS grants. The SRO has three main functions in the school. The most obvious is that of law enforcement. SRO handles any and all reports of criminal activity in the building. Some cases may start outside the school where students are victims or sometimes suspects. The cases range from smoking violations to felony cases. I have been asked to transport students from home to school. Students need to be in class to learn. The reasons for pick up vary but generally they don’t want to be in school.  I encourage them to go to school. No force is used should a child refuse but charges would be filed through court.

The second leg of the SRO triad is crime prevention through education. I speak in classes about various topics and try to bring real life experience to the area of study.

The third leg is that of counseling. I speak with a lot of students about problems

they may have at home or with friends. Development of trust with students is vital for this to take place. Many times students stop in to vent and complain about something and need a few minutes to calm down and return to the normal day at school.

            The SRO background and experience is different from teachers. I have access to sources and information that can help teachers in class or parents with problems. I am available most everyday at school. I would be happy to help in any way possible.  I have become involved in many projects that benefit the school and police department. Most students in the school are great kids. They come to school and complete their work and return home or go to work.

            I work with the Student Against Destructive Decisions group at Madison High School. There are over 40 student members. The group is responsible for many of the prevention projects in the school as they relate to alcohol and drug abuse. I also partner with other law enforcement officers and public safety workers through Lake County Safe Communities Coalition. The coalition provides many prevention materials used here at MHS and other high schools in Lake County. Madison will take part in the 4^th annual Mixers and Shakers event. Over 50 students from MHS will attend the free event in Mentor and learn how to have fun without Alcohol.

            I have spent a lot of time in the classrooms at Madison High School teaching. The most common areas of teaching deal with alcohol/drug uses and civil rights. I have taught in Physics and English. The Physics class dealt with speed calculations from skid marks. The English class dealt with the use of words and providing “details” when completing police witness statements. I also have a program for seventh grade students about the history of police departments that reinforces the change of society from farming to industrial. I took over the third grade seat belt program. I speak with all the third graders about properly wearing seat belts. The program is another partnership with the State of Ohio.

            I am also to the contact between the school and police department. I set up dates and times for training. Both the school and police department have spent hours planning and training for critical events. Each school in the district has been trained and seen what Quick Action Deployment by the police will entail. Policies have been changed to address the safety of students first!

            Please call if you have any questions about topics covered in this brief letter at (440) 428-9362. I will return the call if I am not in the office. I do have an email address- sromadison@yahoo.com.