Lessons learned from first school resource officer

By Kathryn “Chazz” Hirschfeld
Staff writer

HACKLEBURG — Hackleburg High School and Hackleburg Elementary School were the first schools in Marion County to have a full-time School Resource Officer approved by their town council and put into place.
With both schools now entering a new school year with their SRO Andy Jones, we reached out to discover how the students were reacting, how the principals felt about the new position and how the officer himself was adapting to his new role.
Jones brings a vast variety of knowledge and experience to the position, as he has formerly served as a state trooper, then an investigator (at separate times) for both the ABI and the DA’s office as part of the Alabama Department of Public Safety.
Also for the DPS, he previously worked security for the University of Alabama board of trustees and the president’s office.
Jones said being an SRO has definitely been a learning experience for him and quite a change from his previous jobs, but it’s also been very rewarding.
“Being around kids in a school setting was like a 180-degree turn,” he said. “Especially being around the younger kids. My wife, Connie, asked how my first day went, and I told her I’d played kickball with a bunch of kindergartners.”
Building relationships with the students is an integral part of the many duties of an SRO so the students will feel comfortable having an officer on campus, and also reaching out to them, if they ever need to on an issue.
“At first, the schools didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t either,” he said. “We explored their expectations and my responsibilities, and we kind of meshed them together.”
Jones said one of the main things the administration wanted him to impress on the students was he wasn’t there to intimidate them or make them afraid, but to consider him as a friend.
“So when I talk to them, we just talk about life and the experiences they have had,” he said. “I try to be a mentor. Of course, my main job is safety, and I’m not going to let anything interfere with that, but I don’t want them to look at me as just an authority figure. I want them to know I’m here to help them.
“They understand I’m here to keep them safe, and if they have issues they want to talk about, I’m open, and I’m here for that.”

‘Being an SRO has
been real rewarding...’
Hackleburg’s beautiful new school campus was designed to have both its high school and elementary school under one roof with approximately 600-650 students attending  from pre-k to 12th grade.
“It’s a rural school, so most all of the kids are very well-mannered,” Jones said. “Being an SRO has been real rewarding, and I wish I’d done it earlier. It’s more of a mentor-type position, instead of law enforcement, and I’ve really liked the change.
“I enjoy interacting with the students. I have an open-door policy, and students come in all the time just to chat and talk about the issues they have at home or at school.”
Jones has offices in both the elementary school and the high school.
“Sometimes, students will just walk in if they have something going on,” he said. “Or I’ll go out in the hall and talk to them or go down and join a P.E. class. I go outside with the elementary school kids, as they’re outside a lot, weather permitting. Or I’ll just go to the gym and hang out with the older students and play some ball with them.”
Jones also attends varsity home games and away-games with the football team to provide more security.
Regarding the principals he works with, Trey George at the high school, and Mary Kennedy at the elementary school, Jones noted they are both “just great to work with.”
“They are really accommodating with anything I need,” he said. “All I have to do is ask. And it’s the same with teachers. It’s a very good work environment.”
Jones said he started in January of this year as the first SRO in the county, with Guin and then Bear Creek adding SROs since then. Hamilton has recently hired two.
“This is my second semester, and I’m still learning,” he said.
In June, Jones attended a week-long conference in Orange Beach for more training and certifications, including several on student issues he’ll be able to make presentations on.
“The conference was for SROs across the country, and I got certified to teach classes on substance abuse, bullying, vaping and others,” he said.
Asked if he could share any advice for the other SROs in the county, as well as officers considering taking future positions, Jones replied, ”Just put yourself out there and get out and interact with kids.
“Obviously, you have to focus on safety, but also be accessible to the kids and be able to interact and converse with them on their level. You want to be somebody that is there for them if they need somebody to talk to or if they have an issue you can help them with.”
Besides his law enforcement experience, Jones is also a family man, and brings knowledge from being a father and grandfather to his role with his students.
He’s been married to his wife, Connie, for 34 years. The couple have two adult children: Hannah Jones Warren (Josh) and Alex Jones (Maddie), and four grandchildren (Beck, Willa and Louie Warren and Julia Jones) from ages six months to eight years old, including a set of 6-year-old twins.

‘Having that
presence has
been a
huge positive’  
High school principal Trey George was asked to comment on what it’s been like having an officer at school.
“It’s an  excellent resource to have, and it just brought a different perspective, because someone is here to look at things from a law enforcement side,” he said. “I don’t have that background, so having that perspective in the school has been really beneficial to us as administrators.
“And just having that presence has been a huge positive for our school, as well. Andy does a phenomenal job. He’s really good at interacting with the kids. He’s really taken to that role. He’s not  just out looking for the bad, he’s interacting with the kids and building those relationships.
“And in doing that, he’s able to gain knowledge and insight on things that need to be looked into or reported to the office.”
George said Jones’ help also allows him--as the principal--to be more proactive in some situations, rather than having to be reactive. He mentioned the benefit of having “different eyes and ears” out in the school, communicating and talking with the students and being a visible form of extra supervision throughout the building.
Regarding his students in general, George noted, “We have phenomenal kids. We really do. I brag on our kids all the time. Our entire faculty does. We still have issues, and you’re going to always have those. But for the most part, it’s minimal, and we’re usually able to handle those and learn from them, as well.”
The principal said Jones has been a natural fit and a great asset for the whole school and community.
“Having an SRO has been very valuable,” he said. “And it’s like Andy has been working here for years. He’s done a great job building those relationships with the students.
“They respect him. They think a lot of him. They come up to him and talk to him and cut up with him.”
George explained at the beginning, the students may have wondered about having an SRO.
“Maybe there was a little intimidation at first, seeing him walking the halls--because Andy is big,” he said. “But once they saw the way he was interacting with them and talking with them and he wasn’t ‘out to get them,’ but was there to help them and be another support and role model for them--I think they figured that out pretty quick, and they adjusted to that.”
George also commented favorably on Jones’ ability to interact and build relationships with the students.
“He’ll be in the gym playing basketball with the bigger kids during P.E.,” he said. “And he’ll also play with the kindergartners. He’s a big ole guy, and the P.E. teachers have told me that’s a sight to see.
“Through those relationships, the students learn not to see an officer in a negative light. He’s here as a positive. And most importantly, to be another resource and to help kids.
“I’m thankful to have Andy as a SRO for Hackleburg schools. I tell our teachers and our parents that our number one priority is the safety and well-being of our students. After that comes the academic and instruction, but number one is their safety and well-being. Having an SRO helps to ensure that.”

‘Another part
of the family’
Elementary school principal Mary Kennedy said her students enjoy having an SRO in the school.
“They love Mr. Jones,” she said. “He will go into the lunchroom, and they literally argue over which table he will sit at. They all want to have lunch with him. They really like him. He’s very good to our students.
“He is a resource officer to our little students in the sense that he is someone on campus they feel safe going to. They are not scared of him. He is just another part of the family.
“And he has a ball with these kiddos. He will visit and talk to them at snack time and at lunchtime. Any time classes are changing or there is student movement in the school, he is right there in the middle of it--obviously observing and making sure everything is safe.
“He just acclimates right in with the kids. To them, he is just a big classmate. They love him. He’s been a great asset to our campus. Everybody here just loves him.”
Asked if she thinks it’s a good idea for other schools to have an SRO, if possible, Kennedy said absolutely.
“It’s a great idea for any school that can make this work,” she said. “We have a great partnership with our local city government here. They have always been great supporters of our schools. Anything we have needed, they have found a way to make it work. So, we really owe this to them for making it happen.”
Kennedy noted police chief Kenny Hallmark worked closely with mayor Darryl Colburn, and both men worked diligently to make the SRO position possible.
“It was never a question of if it would work. It was always a question of how they could make it work,” she said. “It’s great to know our school is the center of our community, and we were the first to make this work.
“It’s not our place to say what is going on in other city governments, but when your school is truly the center of your town the way it is in Hackleburg, the local government and the local police department--all the stakeholders in the community--they are all about how to make things work.
“We’ve rarely hit any roadblocks here that we can’t get around, and getting an SRO officer was a huge one, and he’s just been a great asset.”
The principal also explained the teachers have responded just as positively to Jones as the students have.
“As teachers, as adults, we all feel safe with him, as well,” she said. “And anytime we’ve needed any assistance from him, he’s been right there ready to help in any way he can.
“In this day and time, we obviously can’t take our safety for granted even though we live in a small rural town where we think something will never happen. It’s a great comfort to all of us and especially the adults--to know they can go in their classroom and teach and go about their business and somebody else is on campus protecting us and making sure things are safe and sound.”
Kennedy was also asked to share any advice from her viewpoint for other schools with new SROs.
“My advice would be it just needs to be a good cohesive partnership from everyone,” she said. “Communication among all that are involved is the key to making it work.
“And really, understanding what an SRO officer’s responsibilities are. That was something we all had to learn. I would emphasize communication and making sure everyone is on the same page about what the duties are of the SRO officer.”
Requested to elaborate, she explained, “We did not want Andy to be a disciplinarian, if you will. Discipline problems are still handled by the teacher. They’re handled by the principal. What we really want for our SRO is for him to have his finger on the pulse of the student body.
“And we want the students to feel comfortable going to him if they hear something or if they’re concerned about something. And not to view him as someone they could get in trouble with, but as someone they could go to if there’s a problem.”
Kennedy echoed the points previously made that the time an SRO spends with students is invaluable.
“Building those relationships is the key to making it work,” she said. “Because if the students do have a problem or see a problem or hear something, they’re more likely to go to him if they know him--if they have that relationship, if he’s not a stranger to them.
“We see lots of high fives. And lots of ‘how are you doing today?’ Andy is very friendly and cordial. These kiddos think he is just another part of their classroom, which is one of the things I love the most about his role.
“From day one, everybody here has just loved him. He is very friendly. He’s very helpful. He is wonderful to our students.
“Of course, his previous experience in law enforcement and working with the DA and DHR have been a tremendous asset to all of us. But more than anything, the relationships that he is building with our students--that’s one of the things we’re the proudest of.”

Police chief
has spent
time as an SRO
Concerning Jones, police chief Kenny Hallmark said when the town decided to move forward, he had several people in mind for the critical SRO hire.
“We wanted someone who was educated enough to know law enforcement and schools, and to know where one starts and the other stops,” he said.
“I’ve known Andy my whole career. He’s as good a man as you could find. We couldn’t ask for a better SRO. It’s the best job in police work.”
Hallmark knows what he is talking about as he spent time as an SRO himself for the City of Russellville from 2018 to 2020, between his retirement and later return as Hackleburg’s chief law enforcement officer.
“This (getting an SRO) has been one of my pet peeves since coming out of retirement,” he said. “We tried to do it before and never could. But being an SRO in the past is absolutely why I pushed this as a major issue when I came back.
“I know the benefits and what it does for us (law enforcement) and the school and for the parents. As a parent, knowing you have someone there who is taking care of your kids relieves a lot of stress off of you.
“Our children are golden. Our most precious possessions are our kids and our schools. If we can’t take care of them, then what are we doing?”
Hallmark said he is actually working on a bill with state senators and representatives to procure funding for a resource officer to be put in every location for schools which have separate campuses for elementary, middle and high school students.
“We’re blessed. We’re under one roof,” he noted.
Hallmark believes strongly in how SROs can help forge and build relationships between the police and school students.
“If we can get the kids to understand that we are there to help them and help them through struggles and keep them safe, so they can have a truly worry-free environment to learn in, that’s our goal,” he said.
“If your kid is worried about safety and issues in the school, they can’t focus on learning. I know the benefit to having an SRO and what it does. It helps police officers as much as it helps kids. And it shapes the officer as much as it shapes the kids.
“Being an SRO gives us the ability to interact and see our work progress. You see those kids go through tough times, and you see how your involvement can help shape and form their lives and then you get to see them prosper after they get out of school.”
Hallmark said he wants kids to grow up regularly seeing police uniforms and learning to respect officers and not be scared of them.
“I want them to understand the uniform is there to help you and not to hurt you,” he said. “I, along with our police officers on duty, stand in front of the school every morning and welcome our kids to school…