School Resource Officer (SRO) Trevor Adkins took the time to sit down with three 4-H ARTiculate Journalist club members at Sault Area Middle School on Tuesday afternoon.
Under the supervision of Soo Leader journalist Sara Eisinger, junior high students Carter Tuhro, Jade Hu, and Eiley Greiser interviewed their school’s SRO.
Tuhro took photos, Hu jotted down detailed notes, and Greiser came up with a few extra questions.
Sault Ste. Marie City Police Department’s SRO Adkins always knew he wanted to make a real difference. When the position opened at Sault Area Public Schools this year, he jumped at the opportunity to do just that.
“Growing up, I had a really good mentor/teacher,” Adkins said. “He shed a positive light on teachers, and just how much of an impact they can have in a student's life. Also, my mother works at a school down state and my wife is a teacher here. I thought this would be an impactful way to reach students. I want to be the positive role model that I had throughout school.”
Adkins is a Lake Superior State University (LSSU) College of Criminal Justice graduate. He came up to the Sault specifically for the university’s program.
“I was told they were among the most recognized in the state,” he said. “In my opinion, they still are. I took college pretty seriously. Grades were important to me, and I wanted to get a good job when I graduated. Aside from getting a degree in law enforcement, we are required to go through a Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) academy.”
Upon successful MCOLES completion, Adkins hired on to the city police department. He worked road patrol for four-and-a-half-years prior to attending the National Association of School Resource Officers training in Midland to take the SRO position.
Police officers in schools are becoming the norm.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 46.7% of public schools had law enforcement officers present on campus in 2018. This number increased from 41.7% in 2006.
“The reason you see more school officers isn’t necessarily because our buildings aren’t safe; it’s because of everything that has happened in recent years,” Adkins explained. “Ideally, we probably wouldn’t need police officers everywhere. With the way things are, I think this is the best way to increase safety and awareness in schools.”
School threats of any kind will be taken seriously by authorities.
Penalties are defined and outlined in Michigan Penal Code, Section 750.543m – Making terrorist threat or false report of terrorism; intent or capability as defense prohibited; violation as felony; penalty:
(1) A person is guilty of making a terrorist threat or of making a false report of terrorism if the person does either of the following:
(a) Threatens to commit an act of terrorism and communicates the threat to any other person.
(b) Knowingly makes a false report of an act of terrorism and communicates the false report to any other person, knowing the report is false.
(2) It is not a defense to a prosecution under this section that the defendant did not have the intent or capability of committing the act of terrorism.
(3) A person who violates this section is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 20 years or a fine of not more than $20,000.00, or both.
“If a threat is made toward a school, it is a felony,” Adkins said. “We have pursued felony charges on individuals who have threatened schools in the past. We will continue to do that. Our number one priority is the safety of students and staff. Even if you’re a juvenile, you are entitled to the same laws and rights under the constitution.”
The procedure Adkins would follow is dependent on how the threat was made, whether posted to social media, hand written, etc. He would gather all pertinent information and witness statements. Validity would be determined after thorough investigation.
“If additional analysis is required, we have other resources through the Michigan State Police (MSP),” said Adkins. “We will contact the FBI if required.”
On a typical day, Adkins deals with issues related to bullying, social media, and student fights, as well as kids bringing vapes, tobacco, and drugs on school property.
“I do not discipline students, but I have had to submit reports to our prosecutors,” Adkins said. “There is a common misconception that school resource officers are just here to discipline students. I am here to be a resource for students and staff. I bridge the gap between law enforcement and students. I am a positive role model. I am here to keep you safe and talk to you.”
In the case of school fights breaking out, Adkins talks to the involved parties to learn what happened.
“From that point, I try to come up with a solution... whether it is some mediation between the two parties or law violation,” said Adkins. “When it comes to working with juveniles, we try our best to keep things from going on their record. That is all up to the courts.”
Like any job, there are ups and downs.
“The part I like the most about my job is talking with teachers and students to give them a more positive idea about police officers,” Adkins said. “One of my favorite ways to do that is during lunch conversations.”
But not every day is as easy as walking the halls and engaging in casual lunchtime chat.
“My least favorite part about this role is the amount of paperwork that has to go behind everything I do,” Adkins said. “That can be very often time consuming. A majority of what I do is intervene…hopefully through education and conversation we can avoid having to write a report.”
Adkins starts his day monitoring school hallways, greeting kids, and talking to staff as they enter the building. Next, he looks at his calendar to check for meetings or scheduled training.
“From that point, I handle any calls or complaints... maybe someone got caught with a vape or got into a fight,” said Adkins. “I spend time in the other buildings, and interacting with staff. If requested to do so, I give classroom presentations.”
Adkins said the most interesting thing that has happened this school year was responding to a small fire in the high school. The fire took place on the morning of Friday, Nov. 18. in the high school’s woodworking area.
“I received the call shortly after 2:30 in the morning that there was a fire in the building, so I responded to assist the fire department with locating shut-offs and utilities.”
Fire crews contained the fire to a small portion of the workshop. Thanks to quick action, nothing of any major value was destroyed.
"We're just here to ensure the safety of everybody," Adkins said to conclude his interview with Tuhro, Hu, and Greiser. "I understand that not everybody is in favor of having law enforcement in their schools. From what I've seen, there's been a lot of positive outcomes associated with me being in the schools. I think it gives us a chance to show that police officers aren't bad, and that we we are just like anybody else. We will sit down and have a conversation with somebody. It is not always a bad thing that we're talking to somebody."
