The CHS School Resource Officers (SROs) look forward to the 2022-2023 school year with intentions to get involved in classrooms, meet more students and form a board of students to voice concerns and suggestions on school safety.

Blake Lytle, Master Patrol Officer and SRO said the CHS SROs aim to create the most comprehensive school safety program in the state of Indiana. In order to do this, he said he wants to educate students more in classrooms on his experience with different topics. 

“If someone asks us to come speak, we will speak. As big as our building is, it is important for people to know us and for us to establish that relationship,” he said. “If any student or teacher wants to ask us questions or come to a classroom, I highly recommend that you ask.”

According to Ashley Williams, Master Patrol Officer and SRO, some of the other ways SROs intend to achieve this is to create a board of students who give feedback on school safety and SRO performance. Additionally, the SROs hope to communicate more with staff as the year goes on.

“If a teacher reaches out to us or vice versa, we will see what the classes are discussing and write our own curriculum around that. When teachers reach out with questions it makes us happy. It’s our job to help them and we love having interactions with school staff,” she said.

“I think (our SROs are) pretty nice and good at what they do,” Senior Anushka Pandey said. “I don’t like that (the job has) to exist but I think they’re necessary.” 

Lytle said his office will move to the windowed area of the front office after construction finishes and because of this change, he wants to engage more with students. He believes students should know SROs are “not just cops in schools”.

“Every SRO that works here applied to be here, and it’s highly competitive within the Carmel Police Department to become an SRO,” he said. “Everyone has their own ‘why’ but we’re all here with the intention to make a difference in kids’ lives.”