Myers is state’s top SRO

“I started with the 楼下 Police Department in 2005,” recalled Myers. “After a few years, I heard the term ‘school resource officer’ for the first time. I knew I loved coaching and mentoring kids, and it just felt like a good fit.”

School resource officers (SROs) are sworn law enforcement officers responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools. In Myers’ experience, the role is nuanced and multi-faceted, but it all comes down to being there for kids in need of support.

“As an SRO, my role wasn’t to cite, write, and criminalize everything,” recalled Myers. “There does need to be accountability, but there are other ways to help kids when they need it.”

During his 15-plus years as an SRO, Myers also coached wrestling, taught military science classes, and worked as a Junior ROTC instructor.

“SROs aren’t just police officers standing in the hallway, they have positive and impactful relationships with the students,他说.

When Myers first decided to pivot his career from on-the-street police officer to SRO, he faced some push back from his peers who felt that working in schools would prevent him from experiencing the benefits of the traditional law enforcement track.

“I took that as a compliment because those guys wanted me to continue working alongside them,” recalls Myers. “But it was the right path for me. I’ve always said, being an SRO should be a career choice, not just a temporary placement.”

During his years as an SRO in 楼下 and Shoshoni, Myers also helped run summer leadership camps for kids. 19年来, he was involved in Camp POSTCARD, which stands for Peace Officers Striving to Create and Reinforce Dreams.

“SROs would recommend kids that they see potential in but need some help in becoming their best selves,” Myers explained. “For five days, they’d come up to Camp POSTCARD on Casper Mountain and we’d have a great time. The message is ‘Hey, you’re not alone.’”