SRO Appreciation Day - Falon Adams

Tell us a little about your role as an SRO. My role as an SRO is evolving based on need. Some days, I'm a counselor for anything from relationship problems to legal matters. Some days, I'm in classrooms giving presentations on my job duties and my path in policing. I'm dancing in a schoolwide assembly or playing Uno during lunches. On other days, I'm forced to make difficult decisions and sometimes arrests. 

What is the most important part of your job? I can't put a price on visibility and approachability. I hate being in my office I work at my school like a beat, I want to see and hear everything. You never know when you'll be in the right place at the right time. And I want the occupants of my school (students, staff, etc) to feel they can come to me for anything. 

What’s something you wish other people knew about your job? I wish people realized that SROs are not in schools to arrest kids. That is only one facet of our job and it's only put to use when all other diversions have either been exhausted or inappropriate for the offense committed.

Why are school resource officers important? I was previously a school resource officer for another agency, I served that high school for 3 years. I met my first student on my first day shadowing the officer I would replace. He ran into my office and told me proudly, "I'm going to be the police someday."  I have been a part of his life since the day I met him. I've watched him graduate high school, kept in contact with him during college, and when he joined the Army and he returned on leave, he made a point to meet me for lunch, ride alongs or call to keep me up to date on his life, his struggles, and his progress. "Someday" came on January 4th, 2024 when I and his family watched him graduate from the Illinois State Police Academy. That is what an SRO is and that is what we can do. 

"I feel like the age where we are losing people to negative perceptions of the police is in high school. Whether students are personally affected by police contact or have heard from word of mouth or mainstream media, this is the age range where strong feelings are developed and opinions are made. I wanted to be a part of the movement to change that and to show kids, parents, and citizens that we are people just like them."