Police believe placing two officers in the middle schools is worthwhile because they help deter crime. If we can intervene even with just two kids, this is worth it. If an SRO is there, he can build on a relationship with the students. Once they get into high school, they've already become at-risk students. But the middle schools don't have as much gang activity and weapons, for example, compared to just a few years ago, police said.
Most students agree that having a cop on campus is a positive thing.
If anything bad happens, he's here. Sometimes they're kind of nosy. It's a wonderful program. Any successful program is only as good as the personnel. Students get to see officers in a positive light, and cops see that most kids aren't so bad, added Sullivan instructional assistant Yvette Nanney.