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Among the new faces reporting for the first day of school across the region this month are: a 47-year-old Douglas County mother with a self-described “goofy” side, a Champaign police officer who moonlights as an independent film producer, and a lifelong law enforcement officer who once served as police chief in his hometown of Gilman.
Brandy Smith (Arcola), Kelly Walton (Centennial) and Kaleb Kraft (Rantoul City Schools) share a title that has become as commonplace in area schools as “principal” and “physical education teacher” – school resource officer.
This school year, there are 28 in 22 districts, more than ever before: active and retired police officers and deputies, full-time and part-time employees, women and men, married and single, walking the hallways of high schools and elementary schools.
Eight of the 22 SRO programs added were added in the last two years alone – Paxton-Buckley-Loda and Bismarck-Henning Rossville-Alvin in 2022, Oakwood, Salt Fork and Hoopeston Area in 2023 and Arcola this month.
During the same period, one of the region’s smallest counties – DeLand-Weldon – went from having a part-time SRO who split her time with Piatt County’s other three counties to having a district that employs its own full-time SRO.
And schools in the cities of Champaign and Rantoul restarted their programs this year as staffing situations improved at the police departments with which they contract.
Why this sudden rush on SROs?
In Salt Fork’s case, “I think there’s been a general recognition in our community that peace of mind is something that money can’t put a price on,” Superintendent Phil Cox said Wednesday. “The mere presence of SROs in the building not only increases everyone’s safety, but it also makes them feel safer. So it’s about both the physical and mental health, well-being and safety of our students and staff.”
“And our parents are excited about it, too. When this decision was made, I received nothing but support from parents. In fact, in my nine years as superintendent of Salt Fork, I can’t think of any other decision that received as much one-sided support in our community as our decision to implement SROs.”
Salt Fork has four officers who rotate every other day, ensuring that the district’s Catlin and Sidell campuses are always covered. Danville has three, with one officer assigned exclusively to the high school and another spending half of his time there. Champaign has two, one per high school. Arcola has just one, and invests no more than $60,000 in the first year.
For Superintendent Tom Mulligan, it’s worth it. He said the “decision was not made at all because we felt our schools were not safe. This decision was based on the fact that we see many, many benefits” – from “improved relationships between our students and our local law enforcement” to the opportunity to revive the district’s dormant Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program.
“And,” said Mulligan, “we are very pleased to add another positive role model to our faculty for our students.”
The costs vary for each district: While Mahomet-Seymour pays 75 percent of the salary and benefits of one officer ($117,871.91), Unit 4 in Champaign must raise $140,958.54, or 40 percent of the salaries, benefits and expenses of two officers.
Yet no matter the district, the job descriptions in SROs’ contracts are very similar. They are not school disciplinarians, but are supposed to be “every kid’s big brother or sister in the schools, being there for them on good days and keeping the monsters away,” as Oakwood Mayor Bob Wright puts it.
They are trained to perform three primary roles: “police officer, law-related counselor and law-related educator,” Hoopeston Area Superintendent Robert Richardson summarized after striking a deal with the city last winter that resulted in police investigator Ron Cade becoming the district’s first SRO.
That could mean informing parents who suspect their child is experimenting with drugs or alcohol, “having a visible presence to deter or identify intruders on campus” and “investigating criminal law violations from time to time,” Richardson said.
“SRO Cade’s sworn duty to enforce the law does not contradict, but rather supports, the need for him to be a positive role model,” Richardson said. “SRO Cade instills high moral standards while using good judgment and discretion, allowing students to learn what a professional police officer does.”
One of six high school districts without a campus liaison officer — Georgetown-Ridge Farm — is implementing a pseudo-program this year.
Under the terms of a new partnership with Georgetown police, Officers Colton Murray and Brooke Lemon will conduct routine visits at both the high school and junior high, said high school principal Kevin Thomas.
Around here: Of the 28 public school districts with a high school in the area, all but six have a school liaison officer program. — Arcola: Brandy Smith, the district’s first liaison officer, reported to the school this week. — Armstrong Township: No liaison officer. — Arthur: No liaison officer. — Bement: Shares Lindsey Bross with Cerro Gordo, Monticello. — Bismarck-Henning Rossville-Alvin: Rossville police officer Beth Damilano is back for a second year. — Blue Ridge: Part-time Farmer City police officer Melissa Dupree is filling in as liaison officer until Jacob King returns from deployment. — Cerro Gordo: Shares Lindsey Bross with Bement, Monticello. — Champaign: CPD is back manning Central (Brandon Walton) and Centennial (Kelly Walton). — Danville: Three SROs are stationed in three buildings — Danielle Lewallen at the high school and Josh Long at North Ridge Middle School, while John McFarland splits his time between the high school and Kenneth D. Bailey Academy. — DeLand-Weldon: After previously sharing an SRO with Piatt County’s three other public school districts, DW has sheriff’s Dep. Justin Ernst all to itself. — Fisher: No SRO. — Georgetown-Ridge Farm: No SRO. — Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley: No SRO. — Heritage: Shares Champaign County Sheriff’s Dep. Alex James with Unity. — Hoopeston Area: The district hired a full-time SRO — Ron Cade — last December. — LeRoy: Robert King, who joined the district in the middle of the 2023-24 school year, is back. — Mahomet-Seymour: Jeff Thomas is back after the district renewed his three-year SRO contract with the Town of Mahomet. — Monticello: Shares Lindsey Bross with Bement and Cerro Gordo. — Oakwood: It’s the second year with an SRO for the district and the second year for retired Danville police officer Troy Hogren. — Paxton-Buckley-Loda: The district’s first SRO — Brandon Ryan — started in February 2022. — Rantoul City Schools: Kaleb Kraft reported to work this month after the elementary/middle school district went without an SRO last school year. — Rantoul Township: Eddy Garcia is back for a second year. — St. Joseph-Ogden: Shawn Hallett splits his time between SJ-O and two neighboring elementary school districts (Prairieview-Ogden, St. Joseph Grade School). — Salt Fork: Two SROs are on duty each day, with Troy Chew, Dustin Heckerson, Bill Hurt and Kyle Janesky rotating. — Tuscola: No SRO. — Unity: Shares SRO Alex James with Heritage. — Urbana: Chad Burnett is back at the high school, Michelle Robinson at the middle school. — Villa Grove: After a hiatus during the 2022-23 school year because no city police officers met the service requirements, Cole Tibbetts is back for a second year as an SRO. — Westville: Back for another school year: Captain Rob Walfeldt and Officer Will Cottrell. {related_content_uuid}842f4067-b2c9-451f-b42c-8645ad5573b5{/related_content_uuid}
