Resources Arrive At LC Wearing Badges (Spring 2004)

"Did you ever use your gun?" "What's this pepper-spray? What does it do?" "Do you need extra college to be a police officer?" Officer Ruth Ramos smiles at the children barraging her with questions.   They point to her holster, her badge, her hand­cuffs; she patiently explains the equipment and her job. Nearby Officer Doug Lariviere distributes plastic police badges.

It's recess for Ms. All's 4th grade class.
For Officer Ruth Ramos and Officer Doug Lariviere it’s an opportunity to provide edu­cation on safety issues and law enforcement, as well to help the children develop positive perceptions of police officers. As the Learning Corridor's first School Resource Officers, Ramos and Lariviere's duties combine law enforcement with teaching and counseling.


Five years ago, SINA submitted an application to the Justice Department requesting School Resource Officers for the Learning Corridor.

Two years later the national program accepted Learning Corridor's application, but the implementation of the officers was delayed due to staff shortages in the Hartford Police Department. Finally, on January 7, 2004, the long awaited School Resource Officers arrived at the Learning Corridor for their new duties.
The officer's presence caused an initial shock. Some faculty, staff, and parents questioned why the Learning Corridor needed police officers.

"School Resource Officers are not just for schools with high crime," Learning Corridor's Director of Community/Public Relations and Events Aura Alvarado-Strudwick explains. "Having the officers here is proactive. It's for prevention and building relationships." The Learning Corridor's new officers have already established patrols beyond the campus, cracking down on issues in the surrounding community including speeding and parking violations, as well as serving as a liaison with the police department on possible drug and prostitution threats.

In addition to law enforcement, School Resource Officers bring an educational component to campuses, integrating police-related lessons with the curriculum of the school. By leading assemblies and teaching in classrooms, the officers will teach on subjects such as the role of a police officer, the science of a radar gun, the physical fitness requirements of a police academy, and the importance of law enforcement in the students' lives.

Officers Lariviere and Ramos see every interaction with the children as an opportunity to educate. Their presence gives students unprecedented access to a realistic picture of the law enforcement system. The officers answer endless ques­tions and focus on being approachable so youth will seepolice officers as allies, not enemies. "We make it a point to learn their names, to shake their hands, and to be friendly so they are not afraid to come up to us," Officer Lariviere describes. For both officers being approachable means con­stant conversations and being available for the students before class, on the playground, and in the cafeteria.

"I want the kids to remember me as someone who did some­thing good," Officer Lariviere makes an impact by participat­ing with the student's activities - shooting hoops, tossing foot­balls, or organizing a spontaneous pull-up competition.

"I smile a lot," Officer Ramos describes her technique to being approachable. "Sometimes a smile is the only way to draw people and break down barriers, and it works." Indeed, the officers' presence doesn't just draw the students, faculty and staff have responded by seeking out the SRO's for advice, assistance, and conversations on a myriad of public safety and policing issues.

After only three months. Officers Ramos and Lariviere have already demonstrated that a School Resource Officer is just that - a resource to the entire Learning Corridor community, and most importantly, to the students themselves.

Recess is over and Ms. All's class begins to head inside. Nine-year old Madison lingers for a moment, still looking up at Officer Ramos. "I want to be a cop when I get older," Madison states with an emphatic grin. Officer Ramos smiles back.