With the 2022-23 school year officially underway, it’s important to look at how a school resource officer can help out during the year. 

Adel-DeSoto-Minburn School Resource Officer Monte Keller says some roles include helping with campus safety, training crossing guards and other safety training. Keller says another important role is classroom activities. 

“Probably, classroom activities are one of the best ways to make connections with students, they get to see an officer not in an enforcement capacity, but in a learning environment. So, we talk about different topics.”

Keller tells Raccoon Valley Radio some of the things discussed with students include bullying along with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program. Keller says an SRO fulfills many roles within the school. 

“One of the main roles of a school resource officer is to serve as a resource to students, teachers, parents, administrators, build positive relations with students and staff and administrators. Police officers in general wear many different hats but definitely a school resource officer wears many of those hats as a regular street officer but also serves many different roles within the school as well.”

Keller says one aspect of ensuring a successful SRO program within the district is having administration and staff in place who welcome and involve an SRO in the various activities every day.