Making schools more safe and secure and reducing risks starts with connections, according to Philip Lofflin, president of the Kansas Juvenile Officers Association (KSJOA). 

“Making positive relationships with students, staff and families makes a big impact,” Lofflin said. “This impact minimizes students’ exposure to the criminal justice system and helps keep school a safe place to teach and learn. I don’t believe there are many assignments a law enforcement officer could do that are more challenging and rewarding.” 

Lofflin has been a district resource officer in Shawnee Mission USD 512 for the past 26 years where he oversees police technology, special projects, and the district’s elementary schools. He said the intentional relationships DROs and SROs develop daily “help the officer and school administration prevent crime, intervene in situations that may lead to more serious problems, and provide awareness to help students make good choices.” 

Since 2022, the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has encouraged schools and communities to recognize the valuable work of their SROs during National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day on Feb. 15 annually. According to NASRO, the organization established this day for schools and communities to let their SROs know how much they appreciate the work these officers do to “bridge gaps between law enforcement and youth and to keep schools safe.” 

Dep. Tiffany Gasseling, of the Haskell County Sheriff’s Office and an SRO in Satanta USD 507 for the past seven years, said she’s able to combine her commitment to public safety with her “desire to make a positive impact on young people.”  

“It’s about helping students feel safe, valued and empowered to succeed in both their academics and personal lives,” she said, adding that she’s developed connections with USD 507 staff and the 1,000-plus residents of Satanta in southwest Kansas. 

“The positive interactions and relationships I’ve built, continue to make this entire community stronger and ensure students can thrive in a safe, positive environment,” she said. 

Dep. Doug Fehr, of the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office and an SRO for Seaman USD 345 for the past 17 years, knows firsthand the importance of building relationships and trust, especially among the Seaman High School students he interacts with every day. 

“I have an open-door policy where students can come talk to me whenever they need on whatever they want to talk about,” he said. “I have found some students do not like cops or do not feel comfortable talking with cops for whatever reason. I’ve also found some students feel safer talking with cops than school counselors. You never know what type of situation may come your way.” 

Fehr has been an SRO with Seaman USD 345 where he also has helped teachers in the classroom as a guest speaker for a variety of subjects including history and an introduction to law enforcement class, that educates students about probable cause, Miranda rights and the importance of cooperating with law enforcement officers during a car stop or some other type of situation. 

While he sees himself first and foremost as the first line of defense for keeping Seaman High School students and staff safe, he also is an example of what law enforcement should represent to the broader Seaman school family. 

“I feel the more the SRO can interact with the youth of the community, the community as a whole will be more understanding of the role of law enforcement,” he said. “The community can see that this interaction with the youth is a positive interaction for everyone.” 

In Southeast of Saline USD 306 in central Kansas, Dep. Braden Long with the Saline County Sheriff’s Office, said a strong relationship with the district’s administration is crucial to the success of behavioral threat assessments he’s been trained in through the partnership with the KSDE Safe and Secure Schools Unit. He said he’s beginning to use what he’s learned to determine whether a student is a potential safety risk.  

“When a threat assessment is necessary, I find it vital to include the administration in every assessment as well as the teachers who spend a majority of the day with the student,” Long said. “By bringing as many resources together in these threat assessments, I believe we are able to provide the proper resources for the student and the parents of the student to allow for a safe learning environment for every student in our building.”   

Other security measures Long said he’s implemented have been more cameras to provide better security, vape detectors, nightlock pull down shades for classroom windows, nightlock locking mechanisms for doors unable to have the push button locks. He’s also updated the district’s fire and tornado drill routes.   

In March 2023, Long said he brought Camo, a three-year-old black Labrador, into the district as a therapy dog, trained in Brevard County, Florida, as part of the Paws and Stripes program.  

“Camo has been a great asset to our school environment and has multiple positive interactions with our students daily,” he said. 

After having worked at several middle schools and alternative high schools as an SRO for the past 12 years, Officer Jamie Schmidt of the Olathe Police Department said she wanted a challenge and accepted the SRO job at the Kansas School for the Deaf (KSD) in 2023. She said she immediately began the process of learning and continues to learn American Sign Language so she can not only do her job more effectively but also create better relationships with students and staff. 

“I wish I was better, but I know that comes with practice,” she said. “The students and staff at KSD have been amazing. They help me every day improve my signing abilities.” 

Schmidt said being able to sit in on any class, elementary through high school, on the school’s campus has helped her signing increasingly get better.  

“And that has improved my ability to do my job,” she said. “Part of my job is to build rapport with the students and not knowing the language has hindered this. The better I become at ASL the better I can and will do my job. I still have a lot to learn.”