In today’s world, it proves essential for officers to eliminate barriers that impair community and police relationships. Usually, the first police officers children meet are the SROs who patrol their schools, teach in their classrooms, and greet them as they walk the hallways. Young people today often become exposed to negativity about the police. SROs work to change the negative perception into a positive one and reinforce the worthwhile information youth receive.
Officer Jeremy Criss is serving in his second year as the SRO at Bald Knob Middle School and Bald Knob High School. He has been in law enforcement for 16 years and currently works for the Bald Knob Police Department. Officer Criss became an SRO to try to have a better knowledge of our teens and youth. He wants to try and connect with them to show them they can trust the police. He finds it most rewarding to see the student excel in areas they didn’t know they could. Officer Criss states that the SRO school has been the most helpful in creating a safe learning environment for our students. He says, “It opened my eyes to a world of information.” Officer Criss enjoys sleeping and eating Cheetos when he is not working.
Officer Zack Harris has just started his first year as the SRO at H.L. Lubker Elementary School. He has worked in law enforcement for 4 years and is also currently employed by the Bald Knob Police Department. When asked why he became an SRO, Officer Harris stated, “I became an SRO to have a positive impact on the children and teens in my community and to bridge the gap between kids and police.” What he has found most challenging so far is the multiple different personalities. Seeing positive change in the students he has helped mentor is what he has found the most rewarding about working on a school campus. In order to create a safe learning environment, Officer Harris hopes to build a culture that puts the safety and education of the students up front. When he is not working, Officer Harris enjoys spending time with his family and going to the gym.
We are very appreciative of the hard work both officers provide in order to make our schools safe and orderly for the highest levels of learning to take place.