'We really count on each other:' Take a look at a school resource officer's role in the Kenosha Unified School District

 

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Whether it's just to hang out, ask for advice, or grab snacks -- Rice Krispie Treats in particular -- from the seemingly endless supply in the office, Reuther Central High senior Bee Hammond knows she can turn to Officer Josh Goldberg. 

"I don't like the police, I stay away generally," Hammond told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White. 

However, her tune shifted when she was first introduced to Goldberg, who started as a school resource officer (SRO) through the Kenosha Police Department nearly three years ago. 

"I mean, Josh cool people!" Hammond said laughingly. “I literally was shaking when I had to have my first conversation with him, I was like I don’t know why he’s talking to me, but then I got to know him.”

Their relationship started because Hammond needed help for situations that were happening at home.

"I went through my whole elementary, middle, high school, all of that, without liking any of my counselors, without wanting to really talk to any of the teachers," Hammond recalled. “But Josh is probably the only teacher, not really teacher, but only person in this school that I will really talk to.”

That kind of connection is what Goldberg said he strives for each day he walks the hallways at both Reuther Central and Harborside Academy.

"I greet the students as they come in for the morning," Goldberg said. "They call me Officer Josh."

Goldberg said he tries to treat each student the way he expects others to speak to his own children.

“I always start with just opening up, being approachable and saying, 'hi' and saying what’s going on and kind of leaving those discussions open for those students to tell me what they want to tell me," Goldberg said. “There are a lot of kids that go to this school that come from at-risk backgrounds, so I know that majority of the time when I’m talking to a student here, there’s some kind of trauma at home.”

His favorite part of the job? Enhancing his personal connections with students like Hammond.

“I think every day when I talk to the students, I learn more and more about them," Goldberg said. “They can say, instead of talking to their friends, 'oh, I know a guy, I know somebody I can go ask,' so I think they really love that.”

That trust and respect is key for anyone in Goldberg's position, whether at Reuther Central or other schools in the Kenosha Unified School District, like Tremper High. 

“I believe that there are three main things they have to do, is mentor, counsel, and law enforcement is the third part," said Tremper Principal Steve Knecht. “We really count on each other to make sure we have safe environments for our kids.”

Knecht added that he believed having an SRO's presence is nothing but helpful when it comes to safety concerns on campus.

“I know that we have a lot of things not happen because our SRO is here," Knecht said. “Having a person here that is trained, that they know is here to protect them and keep this school safe, I think is very helpful for students... If something were to happen that is just an awful situation that would involve an intruder or a school shooter, we have immediate response here.”

Kenosha County's school resource officer program started in the 1999-2000 school year, and officials told CBS58 they hope it will continue for decades to come.

And as for what Goldberg thinks makes a successful SRO?

"Just be yourself, that’s how I approach it," Goldberg said. "Know that when you’re here, [the students are] going to want to ask you those tough questions because they see you as somebody that deals with those tough situations... be ready for those tough questions because you’re gonna get em.”