Small-Town SRO: Officer’s Dad Writes Book About Being a SRO in Rural Community

Most 22-year-old officers aren't the very first SRO a town has ever hired, but that's exactly what Officer Megan DiGirolamo did in 2018. DiGirolamo transferred from road patrol duty to become the school resource officer for the elementary, middle and high school in the town of Buena Vista, a small mountain community in central Colorado. Her experiences, along with five other rural police officers are told in the newly published book It's Not About the Badge, which gives its readers insight into the lives and careers of small-town police officers. The book focuses on the human spirit of those behind the badge and reads like a fast-paced fiction novel.

Several SRO stories are featured, including one where a girl sent nude pictures to someone whom she never met, and also provided her social media password to her fake boyfriend who blackmailed her. She became the victim of cyberbullying, and the boyfriend was actually located in a foreign country. While it may seem obvious to an adult that sexting is a bad idea, the teen brain works differently. Officer DiGirolamo explains, “Teens are desperate to be treated as an adult and perceived as older. Teenagers are struggling with their own self-esteem and self-image, so if someone is complementing them and making them feel good about themselves, they're going to keep going back.”

The book details how the teenager was tricked and fell into the trap. DiGirolamo used this example as an opportunity to talk to the students about the dangers of sexting and the laws around child pornography, bullying and sexual harassment. The officer frequently provides training to both students, teachers and administrative staff. “Teens tend to value themselves in society by the amount of “likes” or how popular you are on social media. Also, bullying used to end when you got back home, but today's teens are always online so that pressure never leaves,” Officer DiGirolamo stated.

Building relationships with the students at all grade levels is important, and having a regular presence helps form bonds and builds trust. “At first, especially at the elementary school, a lot of the kids were wondering why I was there and if there was something wrong,” DiGirolamo states and then added, “It's important for the students to have an adult they can trust. If the law enforcement officer can be that trusted person, we're teaching kids at a young age that they can come to the school SRO if they feel unsafe or if something is wrong.”

Lisa Shaffer agrees, “These kids see the SRO on a daily basis and that makes them more likely to have a positive response. Officer DiGirolamo can tell the kids to take a deep breath and talk the situation through.” Mrs. Shaffer, the Affective Needs teacher at both the middle and high school has up to 13 children in her classroom, all of which have behavioral issues. “Part of my job is to correct behavior, motivate them, build social skills and teach them how to maintain good relationships with other people.” Shaffer continued, “A positive image of law enforcement helps me in the classroom. Officer DiGirolamo shares her experiences so they can learn other perspectives on how to handle different situations. I have less problems in the classroom as a result of the SRO program.”

Mrs. Shaffer praised the implementation of new school safety procedures and sees that the officer cares about the students, saying “Officer DiGirolamo puts her whole heart and soul into this position and wants what's best for the kids. She cares about the students, forms relationships, and focuses on school safety. Having the SRO presence makes us all feel safer.”

Officer DiGirolamo credits NASRO training materials with helping her succeed as the first SRO for the town. She believes that an SRO presence can reduce crime, and stated, “There is a false narrative that SROs facilitate the school to prison pipeline. Our number one priority is school safety and sometimes that requires us to charge kids, but it is really about educating kids and reducing violence. When kids trust their SRO, crime, including gun violence can be avoided.”

The town's Chief of Police Dean Morgan concurs, “It's absurd that some school districts want to remove the SRO as part of the Defund the Police movement. The SRO is looking for alternatives to the justice system and isn't seeking to be heavy handed with the kids.” Chief Dean Morgan explains, “Our SRO program started after the Parkland shooting and there was a lot of community support. The SRO presence in the school is the best way to keep kids safe.” But the benefit goes beyond misdemeanor law enforcement or potentially thwarting a school shooting as Chief Morgan expands, “Officer DiGirolamo has assisted with medical emergencies and has been trained in crisis intervention for youth and is a valuable resource for the school.”

But dealing with the kids isn't the most difficult part for Officer DiGirolamo, as she commented, “The hardest part of the job is dealing with the political and bureaucratic dynamics of the school staff, school board and the parents. Teachers and the SRO cannot replace the role of parents and teaching values starts at home.”

Small town policing has its own set of challenges as well as being an SRO in a rural community. It's Not About the Badge is a great read about the daily life of a police officer. The author interviewed six officers and asked open-ended questions, such as, “Tell me about a day on the job that you'll never forget.” The stories have intense moments such as when a gunman took kids hostages at a high school and another where an officer witnessed the lethal result of domestic violence and drug use.

Other tales of the job that left an impression were the story of an officer who runs into a criminal in a grocery store one year after arresting him and another story where the officer's de-escalation skills keep an emotionally charged incident from getting out of control. There are also heartwarming sections such as when an officer adopts a child and another where an officer proposes marriage. Police officers and their family members will enjoy the book written in a real and authentic style. The officers profiled especially wanted those not familiar with police work to read the book and get a fresh perspective.

Amazon reviewers have given a five-star rating and praise the book, “An excellent book describing for the lay person the complexities of daily police work. Each call, although appearing simple, never is because they must always be alert to possible unknown dangerous situations. The police must use care, tact, and make split-second decisions. At the end of the day, when returning home, they must try to put behind them all they've seen in order to resume a normal family life, which isn't easy. A very illuminating book.”