Submitted photo
School Resource Officer Eric Ettinger, who works in Mifflin County School District’s four elementary schools, believes in using positive reinforcement to generate good relationships with students.

LEWISTOWN — Mifflin County schools have long utilized school resource officers, but a national debate over school safety brought to light the importance of the police-school partnership in making schools safer and more effective.

The Mifflin County School District has agreements with the Mifflin County Regional and the Borough of Lewistown police departments to provide four school resource officers to patrol all schools this year.

The district has utilized grants to cover most of the costs of hiring three full-time officers from MCRPD and a part-time officer from LPD.

Mifflin County School District Superintendent of Schools Vance Varner says school safety is worth every penny of the cost.

“We see value in it, and the police see value in it,” Varner said. “They are here in our schools, and if there’s a problem, they don’t let it boil over.”

The officers are currently stationed at all nine schools in the school district — Mifflin County High School, Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology, Mifflin County Junior High School, Mifflin County Middle School, Lewistown Intermediate School, Indian Valley Elementary Center and East Derry, Lewistown and Strodes Mills elementary schools.

Varner said it’s important that the SROs build relationships with the students to help them with issues they might be having, maintain building security and provide role models when needed.

Officers believe building and maintaining these relationships aids their community policing efforts.

“School resource officers are not in the schools to arrest kids,” said Cpl. Rob Haines, SRO at Mifflin County High School and the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology. “They are there to promote a safe, educational environment.

“Sometimes, things do happen,” he added. “When they do, being there to provide a resource is the biggest key. We need to be a resource for the teachers and administration to find programs for the kids. We assist the counselors and sit down with the parents, making suggestions on how to make things better.”

Varner said the officers serve as a resource for students, who must deal with the pressures of today’s society.

“Over the last five years, the mental health component has become a big part of school security,” he explained. “We want to make sure all the kids are in a good place — socially and physically.

“We want them to understand it’s OK to ask for help if they are in a bad place,” he added. “The officers are here to help. It’s a stigma we are trying to get away from in 2022. We want to take down those walls and let students know it’s OK to talk to a police officer.”

The SRO program was implemented by the school district and MCRPD with one officer in 1999. In 2006, a second full-time SRO was added, followed by a part-time offer from LPD several years ago. This year, the district added a third full-time SRO from MCRPD.

The SROs work with school administrators and faculty to develop comprehensive safety plans to ensure schools are safe places for students to learn.

With school safety in the spotlight nationwide, administrators believe the role of law enforcement in school buildings has never been more important.

SROs are officers employed by law enforcement agencies, Mifflin County Regional and Borough of Lewistown police departments, and are stationed at a school. They act as a liaison between the district and local law enforcement and provide security as well as deal with crimes committed on school property.

School District Chief Operations Officer Paul Maidens also helps monitor Safe2Say, a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.

The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who might be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” before it’s too late.

With SAFE2SAY Something, it’s easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies, Maidens said.

“About two to three days a week, we get a tip,” he said. “It could be about a problem someone is having or about a student who doesn’t have any food at their house. It’s a really great tool.”

One vital part of the SRO’s job is educating staff and students on different emergency scenarios, like lockdown or run, hide, fight situations. They teach about locking doors, creating barricades and how to react quickly in an emergency like a school shooting.

“We are always looking at different things and doing training,” Maidens said. “We do these things, so our schools are prepared if anything ever occurred. We want parents to feel better when they see an officer in our schools.”

Lockdown drills and other preparedness exercises usually involve 9-1-1 and other first responders to make the simulation as real as possible. “It’s something you hope you never have to use, but if you do you have everyone trained for it.”

Communication is the key to a successful emergency plan, Varner said. There was a situation at the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology last year where a report came across the scanner as an act violence in progress.

While those are words that law enforcement and administrators never want to hear, Varner said, “The good side of it was within minutes there were 21 officers on campus, going in through multiple doors and addressing the situation.

“There were even probation officers outside who happened to be in the area, then to our police officers, they were all coming. It was impressive.”

Proving that Mifflin County schools are safe.

The relationships these officers forge with students of all ages are lasting. Haines is often asked to be the subject of career papers in English classes.

“Law enforcement and military are prime examples of careers that our students think about,” Varner said. “They always want to talk to the SROs.”

Of course, the officers’ approaches are different with each school. Haines try to get to know the high school students on an individual level, while Patrolman Eric Ettinger often exchanges hugs and high-fives with the elementary school students and introduces himself to parents.

“The relationship part of it looks a little different going from K to 12, but the culture they build is the same,” Maidens said.

Ettinger, who graduated from Indian Valley High School, grew up in the community he now serves.

“I’ve gotten to see things from a different view,” he said. “Dealing with the safety of the school, we’ve worked together on the implementation of things in the school safety plan. They value my input and that of the other SROs.

“It’s cool having gone to Indian Valley, and now I’m able to make an impact,” he added.

School administrators are thankful for the presence of law enforcement, which includes visits from the sheriff’s department deputies and Pennsylvania State Police.

“They come into our schools and take a lap around, and eat lunch with our students,” Varner said.

When Ettinger visits his schools, he parks his police vehicle out in front to alert those of his presence and patrols the hallways.

“With the younger kids, it’s mostly positive reinforcement,” Ettinger said. “If Mom and Dad say the police are bad, we try to break down barriers. We want the kids to formulate their own opinions, showing the kids that they should not be scared of us.”

Case in point: Ettinger worked with a troubled student who was persuaded to turn his behavior around with a reward system. Using cutouts of Ettinger’s head as reward tokens, the student was able to earn a ride in the police car, use the police scanner to “run” the school principal’s license plate and turn on the lights and siren.

“It’s surprising but a lot of kids at the elementary level think they want to be a police officer,” he said.

After hours, the school district employs officers to staff athletic events, graduation and prom. “It’s not uncommon for us to have 2,000 people at have them there,” Varner said. “We just want everyone to be comfortable and know that them being there is a part of life.”

Meet the school resource officers

OFFICER ROB HAINES

Police Department: Mifflin County Regional

Schools: Mifflin County High School and Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology

Years in law enforcement: 31 years, including 15 as SRO.

Rank: Corporal

Background: Graduated from Chief Logan High School in 1982 and attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Favorite part of job: “Making a difference in somebody’s life. Taking a student who has a problem and helping them work it out, so they can be successful.”

Family: He and wife, Beth, have been married 36 years. They have four kids and three grandchildren.

Hobbies: Family time with chasing after grandkids and camping.

OFFICER TYLER HAMLER

Police Department: Mifflin County Regional

School: Mifflin County Junior High School

Years in law enforcement: 8, including first year as SRO.

Rank: Patrolman

Background: Graduated from Lewistown Area High School in 2010 and earned bachelor’s degree in criminal law and justice with minor in sociology from Penn State University in 2014.

Favorite part of job: “Communicating with our community to make a positive impact.”

Family: He and wife, McKenzee, have been married 5 years. They have one son.

Hobbies: Hunting and fishing.

OFFICER ERIC ETTINGER

Police Department: Mifflin County Regional

Schools: East Derry, Lewistown and Strodes Mills elementary schools and Indian Valley Elementary Center

Years in law enforcement: 17 years, including 5 as SRO.

Rank: Patrolman

Background: Graduated from Indian Valley High School in 1999 and earned bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Penn State in 2013. He also served in the United States Marines.

Favorite part of job: “Interacting with the kids. I feel like I have the greatest job in the world. It’s cool when they see me outside of school – out of uniform – and they come running up to me.”

Family: He and wife, Kathy, have been married 19 years and have four kids and seven grandchildren.

Hobbies: Hunting, woodworking and antiquing.

OFFICER JASON CICCOLINI

Police Department: Borough of Lewistown

Schools: Mifflin County Middle School and Lewistown Intermediate School

Years in law enforcement: 3 years, including 1st year as SRO.

Rank: Patrolman

Background: Graduated from Mifflin County High School in 2015 then enlisted in United States Marines Corp. He then attended the police academy.

Favorite part of job: “Being a mentor to the kids. As an SRO, you have a great opportunity to positively impact the lives you are there to protect and change the way law enforcement is seen.”

Hobbies: Being a volunteer coach for football and track and field.