Minnesota School Resource Officers: Police Officers, Mentors, Confidants

SROs build trusting relationships with students to keep them safe at school

May 15, 2024

Police officers permanently assigned to schools are called School Resource Officers (SROs) and they often walk a thin line between being a trusted confidant, protector, and criminal investigator.

Brooklyn Park Police Officer Dawn Sysaath enjoys serving as a SRO at Park Center High School. She says her experiences growing up help her connect with students and break down barriers between young adults and police.

“I grew up with a single mom in and out of prison,” Sysaath said. “We didn’t have a lot of money growing up. I’ve lived in a car, and I’ve lived in a hotel room.” Sysaath says many Brooklyn Park students face similar challenges.

She says her background helps her build trusting relationships and to get misguided students onto the right path. However, changes to the use of force laws in August 2023 made it harder for her and other SROs to feel like they could do their job. Many police departments around the state removed their SROs from schools until the changes could be revised further leaving many schools without a dedicated police presence.

Changes to Use of Force Law Left Students and Staff Without Protection

Last year, the Minnesota legislature made changes to the use of force laws resulting in many police departments removing their officers from schools. The Minnesota Senate passed a new bill in March by a 61-3 vote that removed some of the changes and will make it possible for SROs to return to their schools. Governor Tim Walz signed the bill into law on March 14.

The new law removed language specific to SROs while a ban on the use of physical restraint techniques remains in place for all other school staff. SROs are required to receive training on topics such as de-escalation techniques and how to respond to mental health crises as part of the new changes.

School Resource Officers Work Hard to Gain Student’s Trust

Officer Sysaath says she begins building relationships with incoming freshmen students. One exercise the SROs use is to give the students an opportunity to speak about an unpleasant interaction or experience they’ve had with police.

One student shared that police had treated her mother poorly in the past. Later, Sysaath responded to an incident where students were throwing food and “roughhousing” in the cafeteria. Sysaath was later told by school administrators the student was having difficulties at home and possibly facing removal.

Sysaath approached the student to see if she could help. Sysaath told the student she could provide a space for her to work through her emotions which was the beginning of a constructive mentoring relationship.

The student was involved in disciplinary incidents a few times following that initial conversation and Officer Sysaath was there to let her know that she was disappointed and knew the student could do better. Sysaath said she checks in with the student regularly who no longer skips class and has since improved her academics.

Officer Sysaath says that troubled students need an adult who believes in them to spark the motivation to focus on their academic pursuits.

When Seconds Count, Officers on School Grounds Make Students and Staff Safer

Without SROs present, school staff would have to rely on calling 911 for a police response which may take several minutes placing students and staff at risk of injury in violent situations. Having a full-time police officer on school grounds can lead to significantly faster response times when they are needed.

The level of violence when a fight occurs can be drastically reduced if an officer is quick to respond. Often the mere presence of an officer will stop fights before they start. Officer Sysaath believes a cell phone in every pocket and online arguments can quickly lead to violence in schools.

“Cell phones have made it more easy and prevalent for kids to feel disrespected,” she said. “Without any notice all of a sudden we have 20-50 kids banding together into a big fight and it’s within seconds.”

School Resource Officers are Part of the Team that Serves Students

Emily Juaire is a Student Assistance Counselor with ISD 279. She has worked with the students of Park Center Senior High School since 2015. She says the removal of SROs from a full-time on-site presence has made students and staff less safe.

Police responding from normal patrol take longer to arrive which allows fights to escalate. Their presence at the school can also deter fights from beginning in the first place, she says.

Juaire witnesses the power of the relationships SROs build with students such as instances of sexual assault where having that familiarity with a specific officer can be vitally important. Juaire says she knows SROs who still check on students after they graduate.

Juaire says the difference between SROs and their counterparts on regular patrol beats is the rapport built over time which helps changes the narrative of who police are in the eyes of the students.

Breaking Down Barriers Through Lasting Relationships

Former Park Center High School students Valarie Vang, 18, and Savanity Lor, 18, say they asked Officer Sysaath if they could stay in touch after graduation.

Vang says having an adult available to talk to helped keep her positive when she was dealing with personal challenges. She says before getting to know Officer Sysaath she felt intimidated by police. “I feel like they changed my perspective on how I see cops,” she said. She checks in with Officer Sysaath every few months and she’s excited to meet for lunch soon to catch up.

Lor says the SROs left a lasting impression on her. “I met Dawn at a period of my time in high school where I was going through a lot. I would go and talk to her, and she would just give me advice,” Lor said. “They’ve become very important people to me in my life because of the role they played. I don’t think they understand how big of an impact they made on me,” she said.

The most recent updates to the use of force law will make it easier for police departments to put SROs back in schools. “Now that the law has been corrected, I feel excited to go back,” Officer Sysaath said. Her department plans for her and the other SROs to return for the new school year in September.