School Resource Officer

The Ripon Police Department and the Ripon Area School District have partnered to provide a School Resource Officer Program in the School District.

School Resource Officers (SRO) Lindsey Michels and Bradley Rasmussen are employed by the Ripon Police Department, work full-time in the Ripon Area School District and have offices at the schools.  Officer Michels is assigned to Murray Park and Barlow Park Elementary Schools. Officer Rasmussen is assigned to Ripon Middle and High Schools and Crossroads Alternative School.

 

The Ripon Police Department provides for 50% of the SRO program through the City of Ripon Budget and the Ripon area School District provides for the remaining 50%.

An SRO has a diverse role is the school community and has many duties and responsibilities.

We have defined a School Resource Officer as a sworn officer assigned to a school on a long-term basis trained to perform three major roles: law enforcement officer,law related counselor and law related educator. In addition, the officer works in collaboration with the school and the community as a resource for safety and security issues.

As a law enforcement officer, the school becomes the officer's beat. The SRO assists the school administration in maintaining a safe and secure environment. School administrators benefit from the SROs training, knowledge and experience is handling situations involving possible weapons violations or in the identification of controlled dangerous substances. The SRO provides a highly visible presence to deter or identify trespassers on campus. In addition, SROs provide a service to the surrounding community by addressing concerns such as loitering, speeding or loud car radios. The students when going to or from school often generate these types of community complaints.