Lake Norman Publications

MPD: School resources officers protect students, staff



MOORESVILLE – To best serve and protect the citizens of our community, the Mooresville Police Department (MPD) utilizes highly trained officers in a variety of specialized roles including patrol, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), logistics and communications. One of the most challenging assignments is that of a group of men and women who are assigned to protect our most precious asset, our students – the MPD’s School Resource Officer (SRO) squad.

Supervised by Sgt. Dan Walther – 22-year veteran of MPD and retired United States Marine Corps First Sergeant – the SRO squad is composed of seven officers. Walther has vast experience supervising our SROs having spent 10 years as an SRO at Mooresville Middle School. He then became a K9 handler for MPD and a patrol sergeant.

When a K9 SRO position opened at Mooresville High School, Walther voluntarily relinquished his rank to serve, first with K9 Sadie and currently with K9 Bella. Trained in narcotics detention, K9 Bella also serves as an ice breaker and goodwill ambassador between the police and the students.

There are currently seven MPD SROs serving Mooresville High School, Mooresville Middle School, Langtree Charter Academy, Pine Lake Preparatory, N.F. Woods, East Mooresville Intermediate School and Mooresville Intermediate School. In addition, MPD and Mooresville Graded School District share the goal to have an SRO in every school within the district in the near future. 

Considering recent events at schools across the country, the role of SROs has an increased importance for the coming school year. In addition to continuous training to ensure that students and staff are safe on campus, all officers are trained in Active Shooter Response Training and other school safety categories. All SROs are experienced road officers and, before being assigned to a school, must successfully complete both Basic and Advanced School Resource Officer Training through an accredited training program.

In the school, the School Resource Officer is considered part of the Administrative Team, with school officials relying on them for guidance, input, and involvement in school related decisions. 

It takes a special kind of police officer to be a School Resource Officer.  With the school campus being their response zone, they are responsible for all incidents that happen on campus. First and foremost, SROs are police officers, enforcing state laws and local ordinances. However, they also wear many hats. SROs are counselors and mentors to students, advisors to parents, and a source of legal reference to staff and the administrators.

Because of the high-profile nature of their work, they serve as the first point of contact for any law enforcement issues involving students, staff, parents and community members. One minute they could be responding to a criminal incident, and immediately afterwards they can be found mentoring students and mediating disputes. SROs are involved in every aspect of the operation of the school, but, most importantly, are responsible for the safety of our students.    

The next time you see your student’s SRO, take a moment to thank them for what they do. This assignment is indeed the most challenging, rewarding and important of any in law enforcement, and MPD is extremely proud of the officers who answer the call to do this job.

– Dave Harding is the Crime Prevention Officer for the Mooresville Police Department and this is a monthly message from the MPD promoting safety, crime prevention and public awareness.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *