ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Student resource officers are the first line of defense against violence in our schools.
As the new school year gets underway for students in St. Charles County, county officials are investing in safety and relationship-building between students and law enforcement officers.
Inside Bryan Middle School, teachers put things in order and count the days until they welcome back students. Second-year student resource officer Shawn Birdsong spends the last few days before the new school year walking hallways and checking doors.
“We have a diverse group of kids here that attend the school, so everybody’s background is a little different,” Birdsong said.
St. Charles County officials are spending $2.2 million in funding from ARPA – the American Rescue Plan Act – to create 14 new SRO positions by hiring more officers.
Kurt Frisz is the chief for the St. Charles County Police Department.
“I think it’s a good use of money because school safety is our top priority,” said Frisz. “And this will put a school resource officers in every school in unincorporated St. Charles County, which is going to complement what we already do.”
Currently, nine out of 23 public schools in St. Charles County have student resource officers. Use of ARPA funding will put an SRO in all of them.
“Our SROs go through very focused active shooter training. We call it MACTAC (Multi-Attack Counter Terrorism Action Capability), but they do it for single-officer response. If they’re in the school building and there’s an intruder, and there’s an event like that, they’ve got to go. They’ve got to take action. So, they get very focused training, prior to going back to school,” Frisz said.
Bryan Middle Principal Jeff Gruener said school resource officers are part security, part public relations.
“Since we’re now able to have SRO’s in elementary buildings, I would agree their first exposure to law enforcement, most likely, is going to be that SRO,” said Gruener.
After 18 years on the street, Birdsong is walking a new beat, building safety, security and relationships.
After his first year, Birdsong was asked what makes a good SRO.
“Being well-rounded, humble and being able to speak with people,” said Birdsong. “We’ve seen a lot of kids that have graduated, thanked us, and even asked us to attend their graduations. So, it’s very humbling.”
The St. Charles County Council approved spending $2.2 million for the 14 new officer positions and all their law enforcement gear, including patrol cars, firearms and body cameras.
Chief Frisz said those new hires will start as patrol officers on the street. The new SRO positions will likely be filled by veterans. Entry level pay for officers is just over $58,000 per year.
To apply for one of those officer positions, go to the jobs portion of the St. Charles County website.