Westerville City Schools
Most on-duty police officers aren’t found on the playground at recess, reading children’s books or participating in P.E. class, but for Westerville Student Resource Officer (SRO) Ryan Schleve, these activities are common on the job.
As a neighborhood SRO, a position that the Westerville Division of Police and the Westerville City School District recently added to their SRO program, Schleve is responsible for keeping elementary school students and faculty safe while facilitating positive relationships and experiences with students.
With SROs being introduced to Westerville elementary schools for the first time this school year, Schleve says there are more opportunities for law enforcement to connect with younger kids and shape their perspectives of police officers from an earlier age on a more personal level.
“At the end of the day, I think it’s important just because of that added safety and security, but I also think it’s important to engage with these students as they go through all these different levels,” Schleve says.
As an SRO, Schleve is an accessible resource for students and teachers to speak with and learn from. Outside performing security and safety checks, Schleve assists teachers with safety tips, supports school staff and spends time bonding with students throughout the school day.
“I get to be a grown adult playing basketball and going to gym class,” Schleve laughs. “I think that’s the most rewarding time because you’re getting good quality time with those students and you’re able to answer those questions that they may have in a safe environment.”
Lifelong connections
Schleve says he’s lived in Westerville his whole life, attending Mark Twain Elementary – one of the schools he now serves as an SRO – as well as Walnut Springs Middle School. As a high school student, Schleve says he built close relationships with Westerville police officers by being involved in the Youth Public Safety Cadet Program where he participated in weekly meetings at the police station and learned about careers in law enforcement.
It was there he discovered his passion for police work and was later hired.
“When I came in, it was nice because I already had a relationship built with a lot of officers here,” Schleve says.
Police Lieutenant Greg Franey, who oversees Westerville SROs and other community resources, speaks to the close and cohesive dynamics of the Westerville SRO team and police force. Franey, for example, was once a mentor to Schleve in the Cadet Program.
“I’ve known him since he was 14,” Franey says. “So I feel like he’s been here longer.”
Another lifelong connection of Schleve’s resulting from an early interest in law enforcement is Aaron Dickison, a former SRO at Westerville North High School, where Schleve attended. Dickison taught him how to write police reports and perform other office work at the police station. The two bonded over their love for fishing and remain close friends and colleagues to this day.
Westerville City Schools
“I got all my work done in English class, so I’d go to his office and talk to him,” Schleve says.
After having such a positive experience with his SRO, and returning to the Cadet Program as a mentor to high schoolers, Schleve was eager to accept a neighborhood SRO position when it became available.
“Being able to engage at that younger age level and just develop the relationship and the kids seeing an officer at a younger age, really intrigued me,” Schleve says. “I was excited, I wanted to be a part of that.”
From the cruiser to the playground
Having originally worked as patrol officers and then transitioning to SRO work, both Franey and Schleve say their daily interactions are very different from their previous positions as patrol officers.
“That guard’s down because you have that rapport built with that student, you know that student and the history with them,” Schleve says. “And, if you’ve already built that good rapport with them, you might walk in and totally calm them down.”
As a former field training officer, Schleve notes the importance of being open with students, not intimidating and distant the way patrol officers are trained to be.
“Here I am, as a school resource officer – I’ll plop down in a little chair, I’ll sit at the lunch tables that are tiny too, and you’re sitting there with all your gear on next to these kids,” Schleve says. “As a patrol officer, yes, in certain instances it's serious – you got to be serious – but here you got to be able to smile and connect with the kids.”
Fostering change
Schleve says that because SROs are new to Westerville elementary schools, he’s excited to see the powerful community-wide changes in Westerville students’ trust and harmony with police officers due to early exposure to law enforcement. He’s already witnessed students interacting more confidently with himself and other officers at community events and heard rumors of young students approaching patrol officers to ask about him.
“Just the difference a couple of months has made of being split between nine buildings and still making that positive interaction has been awesome,” Schleve says. “I think just being in that role and having the students recognize you at other events outside the school has helped build those relationships and them being more comfortable coming up and talking to us police officers.”
Though student safety is the number one priority, Franey says that resource officers also have opportunities to impact kids’ lives before problems arise, whereas patrol officers typically address those problems after they arise. As a familiar face, an SRO can help students based on their individual needs.
Westerville City Schools
“I think we need to have positive role models and mentors from the beginning,” Franey says. “The kids just say hi to us and it’s not like, ‘Hey, what’s wrong? The police are here,’ it’s, ‘Hey, the police are our friends, they’re here, there’s not a problem.’”
For Schleve, only time will tell how these positive connections will impact the students once they reach middle school and high school as they become accustomed to law enforcement from earlier ages.
“Just the interactions that I’ve had with these elementary school students, how positive they’ve been, leads me to think that this will continue to be positive as they move through the different levels,” Schleve says.
Frances Denman is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
