Le Mars, Iowa — Some Iowa schools have had police officers walking their halls for decades, while others are new this fall to SROs, or school resource officers.
Le Mars police officer John Vickery covers that community’s five public school buildings as well as the Gehlen Catholic Schools. Vickery says law enforcement is -not- his primary concern.
Another priority as an SRO, according to Vickery, is to establish and cement good relationships with everyone he encounters.
Vickery was the SRO when Le Mars Police launched the program in 2018 and he’s now beginning his third term in the position. Still, he says it takes time for students to get comfortable with a police officer in their school.
Vickery says the most challenging part of his job is when he has to deal with students from a law enforcement perspective. He says good kids will sometimes make bad choices and while he tries to give them the benefit of the doubt, he still has a job to do.
