Grabbing a doughnut and a cup of steaming, hot coffee, Free State High School’s Resource Officer Matt Sarna drives down Sixth Street at 7:30 a.m. each day and pulls into the school parking lot. The day of our visit, Sarna begins by getting ready to teach one to two hours in a classroom setting.

Despite the doughnut stereotype, school resource officers of USD 497 have many duties, including providing law education within the school system. Sarna, as well as five other resource officers in Lawrence, are first police officers and then teachers and counselors for students.

“We are not school security; we are here to strengthen attitudes toward law enforcement and enforcers,” Sarna said.

The School Resource Officer program started in Flint, Mich., in the 1950s and was introduced in Lawrence in 1995. Only within the last two years has the SRO program been extended to the junior highs. The primary goals of the SRO program include improving police and youth relationships and providing a law enforcement figure on the campus to deal with law-related issues.

The resources officers are allowed to carry a firearm, handcuffs, a baton and pepper sprays. However, that does not mean the resource officers have the authority to use them in every incident.

“Each situation is different; I use the minimal amount of force needed to stop the threat,” Sarna said.

There are many differences between being an SRO at the high school level versus the junior high level.

“Drugs, alcohol, sexual relations, gangs and weapons are all issues that students must face on a daily basis. However, tardies and skipping classes are the most frequent offenses,” Sarna said.

Sarna says he enjoys work with kids and staff at the schools. Part of an officer’s job is to be a confidant ready to provide advice.

“I take student concerns seriously and follow up with them. I am always willing to talk, show respect, use good judgment and be consistent and fair,” he said.

With a more informed school, there will be a more informed community, Sarna said.

“Schools are microcosms of the community at large,” he said, “and as such, encounter the same problems, including crime.”