GREENVILLE —Schools began using SROs (School Resource Officer) in the late 1950s. The first SRO was used in Flint, Mich., with the main goal being to improve the relationship between local police and youth. They positioned these officers as full time teachers or counselors within the school. Today, according to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) there are 14,000 to 20,000 SROs in service nationwide.
Greenville High School’s SRO is Officer Jennifer Freeman of the Greenville City Police Department. She has been a police officer for 18 years. Her first 5 years were spent with the New Madison Police Department. She has spent the last 13 years with the Greenville City Police Department. She was assigned the SRO at Greenville High School at the start of this school year and received her SRO training at The Ohio School Resource officer virtual academy. She was trained in school building safety/prevention and building relationships with students to list just a couple of areas of training.
Officer Freeman fills many roles at Greenville High School that go well beyond safety and security. She is utilized in coverage duties before, during, and after school to ensure a safe school environment. Another role she fills is as a mentor to students. Probably the most important role that a SRO fulfills is creating a relationship with the police department and the community by interacting with students and staff. In today’s world, we feel lucky to have an SRO like Officer Freeman at GHS to not only provide safety, but also as a connection with the community.
