KUSA — In the Aurora Police Department, about 20 officers are assigned to work in local high schools -- but their jobs are so much more than patrolling the hallways and classrooms.
“They are educators, counselors and law enforcement officers,” said Sgt. Paul Poole, who supervises Aurora school resource officers. “They are also collaborators, collaborating with other members of the police department as well as the community.”
This comes after the Aurora Police announced Wednesday the arrest of a man suspected of raping two 17-year old girls. Both assaults reportedly happened on September 13, less than a mile away from each other and not far from Overland High School and Prairie Middle School.
APD said school resource officers assisted in the investigation.
Poole could not comment on that specific investigation, which is ongoing.
However, he said SROs are frequently involved in criminal investigations that involves students or their families, whether they are victims or suspects. Poole said SROs are also a resource for students dealing with other issues at school or at home.
“We look at school as being a microcosm of society, whatever happens in the community, happens in a school,” he said.
He shared a story about two SROs in Aurora who, a few years ago, spent their own money to buy snacks for hungry students. When the community learned about those efforts, donations started pouring in – so many, APD created a special storage room just for food that SROs can provide to students in their schools when needed, Poole said.
The SRO training, Poole said, focuses on building connections and trust. It’s not always easy when working with teenagers.
“One of our main goals with the counseling piece is to make sure our SROs are trained quite well to be able to listen,” he said. “First, seek to understand, then to be understood. And the only way you can understand someone is you have to listen.”
