everychild. onevoice.

School Resource Officer for RJH

To:  Staff and the PTSA at Redmond Junior High
From:  Matt Hurley, School Resource Officer
Regarding: The Redmond Police School Resource Officer Program

Well here we are at the beginning of another school year. As we start another calendar year I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself and explain some of my duties as your School Resource Officer.  I hope to personally introduce myself to as many of the PTSA parents as possible.

I am Officer Matthew Hurley of the Redmond Police Department and my current assignment is working as your School Resource Officer at Redmond Junior High School. This will be my first full year as your SRO and I am looking forward to what this year holds. 

This is my 10th year as a police officer, and my first time as a full time SRO. I began my law enforcement career back in 1999 in Central Florida. In 2008 I relocated to Redmond as I accepted a job with the Redmond Police Department. During my time with the Redmond Police Department I have worked in the patrol division, community outreach and now as an SRO. I have had the opportunity to work as a Field Training Officer, Officer in Charge, and as a Neighborhood Resource Officer. Last year I also had the chance to work as a fill in SRO for both Redmond JR High as well as Rose Hill JR High. This was a great time for me as I had the ability to see how great it was to work in the schools with our students. I am happily married to my beautiful bride Melody and have been for over 16 years. We have three wonderful daughters, all of whom attend local schools in Redmond. 

During my life I have spent many years working with young people and find it to be a very rewarding opportunity. I take a very different approach with young people and try to deal with them in a way that no police officer has ever dealt with them. I spend as much time with your students as possible in any way possible. I accomplish this by helping coach sports at the school, as well as spending time with them at lunch and in between classes. I also try and spend as much time in the class rooms as possible just helping out where I can.

One of the consistent questions I am asked is “what is a School Resource Officer (SRO)?”, “what do they do?”, and “is there a crime problem here?” First of all, we have very safe schools and a great community.  The school resource officer program is a nationally accepted program involving the placement of a law enforcement officer within the educational environment on several different levels.  The SRO is involved in a variety of functions.

• As a visible, active law enforcement figure, on campus dealing with any law-related issues.
• As a classroom resource for instruction in the following areas: law related education, violence diffusion, safety
• issues, alcohol and drug prevention and other community issues.
• As a member of the faculty and administration team working hand in hand to solve problems in the school community. 
• As a resource for students to enable them to associate with a law enforcement figure in the student’s environment.
• As a resource to teachers, parents, and students for conferences on an individual basis, dealing with individual problems or questions. 
• As a counseling resource in areas which may affect the educational environment but may be of a law-related nature.

Other prevalent questions center on “the role and responsibilities of an SRO”.  Although the primary goals and objectives of the SRO program remain the same, the specific duties and responsibilities may change with the different needs of each school.  Below are some of the common roles I perform as a SRO.

• Work closely with the school principal(s) and counselors.
• Provide a program of educational leadership to the students, parents and faculty addressing tobacco, drugs and alcohol related issues, gang activity, violence diffusion and prevention, community involvement, crime prevention and safety issues.
• Act as a communication liaison with law enforcement agencies; provide basic information concerning students on campuses.
• Gather information regarding potential problems such as criminal activity, gang activity, student unrest, and identify particular individuals who may be a disruptive influence to school and/or students.
• Take steps appropriate and consistent with a law enforcement officer’s duties when a crime occurs.
• Refer students and their families to the appropriate agencies for assistance when a need is determined.
• Be available for conferences with students, parents and faculty members to assist with problems related to law enforcement and crime prevention.
• Confer with the school administration to develop strategies to prevent or minimize dangerous situations on or near the campus.
• Whenever possible attend school functions or extracurricular school events.
• File police reports and investigation.
• Refrain from functioning as a school disciplinarian.
• Attend meetings of parent groups and faculty-wide in-service sessions.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me here at the school, my door is always open. My office number is (425) 936-2447. Also you can email me at mhurley@redmond.gov or mhurley@lwsd.org. My office hours are 7:15a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Monday-Friday. I look forward to partnering with you and your students during this school year.