Officer Mallory Atkinson is joining the Heritage staff this year as the new School Resource Officer. She follows Officer Austin Rodriguez, who served for five years.
SROs are police officers assigned to a specific school for four to five years. According to the Littleton Police Department, “School resource officers provide an invaluable resource; they can offer insight into family life of students, help uncover where a runaway might be staying based on friends and common practices, and are the first to be looped in when a student is involved in a situation”.
School Resource officers work closely with the school to provide security. They monitor before school drop off, the hallways during the day, and make sure the building is secured. Besides routine checks, Atkinson says, “I deal with anything that pops up throughout the day that might be somewhat criminal in nature that the school needs me to assist with.” This can include fights and home life concerns, along with other legal issues.
Atkinson says, “I’ve worked for the police department for ten years, and I worked on patrol for all ten of those years.” She says she applied for the position because, “I was ready for a change of pace and something different.”
Atkinson worked with various high school students in different communities as a patrol officer. She is excited to continue helping kids out in her new position. Outside of work she enjoys walking her dog, reading, and playing softball.
Rodriguez trained Atkinson on the job during the first week of school. It was not, however, the first time they worked together. Rodriguez says, “Officer Atkinson actually trained me when I was brand new as a police officer.”
Rodriguez has been assigned to the Littleton Special Enforcement Team. He describes it as “a little bit of a lot of things.” He will be doing a lot of community outreach with organizations such as the Special Olympics and Make a Wish. Besides that he will be, “chasing criminals, on the run or those with active warrants” says Rodriguez.