Brown County has its first school resource officer.
Michael Rogers, 35, was supposed to start working for the Brown County Sheriff’s Department at the end of last week, but don’t expect to see him suited up and walking the halls of Brown County High School soon.
Since he hasn’t worked as a police officer before, he will need to complete 40 hours of training and attend the law enforcement academy before he can begin working in the schools.
Rogers is a lawyer, but he’s always been interested in being a police officer. He graduated from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law in 2008 after earning his undergraduate degree from Purdue University. He has worked as a commercial litigator for almost 10 years.
But now, it’s time for a change.
“I went to law school and kind of just followed the corporate path. It wasn’t ever entirely planned out. It was just one of those things that kind of happens,” he said.
“In 2014 and 2016, I lost both of my parents and decided that life comes at you fast. This type of work is something I’ve been interested in for a long time, so we talked about it and decided to take the plunge in and dive in. Here I am.”
He said the school resource officer job was particularly appealing.
“I think it’s a very unique opportunity to influence people in the right direction while they’re still at an age where (you can). Once you’re an adult, you kind of get stuck in your ways. There’s a lot of kids who, I think, need a mentor,” he said.
“It’s that aspect of it, on top of being a police officer, that makes it particularly interesting.”
In addition to his basic training, Rogers will attend training through the National Association of School Resource Officers. Brown County Chief Deputy Brad Stogsdill said it probably wouldn’t be until January when Rogers can be working in the schools full time.
Brown County Schools was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to hire a school resource officer.
The “match” to the state’s $50,000 grant is coming from the school district — $25,000 cash and $25,000 in services, such as providing an office space and access to technology for the officer, Superintendent Laura Hammack said in July.
The county will be responsible for paying for the officer’s equipment, such as firearms and uniform.
The grant is for one year, but Hammack said it’s very unlikely it wouldn’t be renewed as long as the required reports are turned in and the money is used as it was intended.
This grant is a win for the county as a whole, not just the school system, Hammack told the Brown County Council in July.
When school is not in session, the plan is to have the officer work with sheriff’s deputies to carry out their regular duties around the county, she said.
Rogers will be based at Brown County High School, but will be able to respond to any school if needed.
The officer’s focus will be on building relationships with students and parents, Hammack said.
“He has young children and just wants to be able to be a part of this community in this capacity,” Hammack said. “What we love about this, and the sheriff is fully supportive of this, we are investing in someone right now who is going to be with us for a long while.”
Rogers lives in the Peoga area with his wife and two children, ages 2 and 4.
Rogers went through the same vetting process a new sheriff’s deputy would go through. Stogsdill said he earned the second-highest score ever on the department’s written test — only one point behind Deputy Colton Magner.
“He kind of knocked it out of the park. He’s a good guy. He’s a family man,” Stogsdill said.
Brown County High School Principal Matt Stark was involved in the interview process where they narrowed the field down to three before selecting Rogers.
Stark describes Rogers as a motivated person who really wants to be a school resource officer. He said Rogers’ background as a lawyer will also help as the district establishes a school resource officer program while working to “balance” school and state laws.
“I think the big thing that’s coming out for people to know is this becomes a resource for our kids as well, building those relationships,” Stark said. “Relationships are key to this. This person will be big on how we look at safety, but also, when kids run into things outside of here.”
The school resource officer also can assist other officers when they deal with teens outside of school, Stark said.
“If an officer runs into a group of kids, they can contact the SOR. (He can say) ‘Oh I know some background on some of those kids,’” Stark said.
Both Stark and Hammack have experience working with school resource officers in their former school districts.
“This is not the armed person running (to the scene). That’s a piece of it, but that’s not the major focus,” Stark said.
Hammack said she’s excited about this hire. “I feel like we have just gotten a really extraordinary person who will be able to develop relationships with students and then also serve as real counsel for us in school safety matters from the legal aspect, which was something we really didn’t expect to get from this position,” she said.
Rogers said he’s looking forward to meeting new people and becoming a part of the community.
