Midland Police Chief Nicole Ford poses for a portrait in front of a new cruiser intended for Jefferson Middle School's school resource officer (SRO) Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 at the Law Enforcement Center in Midland.
A new police cruiser intended for Jefferson Middle School's school resource officer (SRO) is parked in front of the Law Enforcement Center Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 in Midland.
A new police cruiser intended for Jefferson Middle School's school resource officer (SRO) is parked in front of the Law Enforcement Center Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 in Midland.
Midland Police Chief Nicole Ford poses for a portrait in front of a new cruiser intended for Jefferson Middle School's school resource officer (SRO) Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 at the Law Enforcement Center in Midland.
A new police cruiser intended for Jefferson Middle School's school resource officer (SRO) is parked in front of the Law Enforcement Center Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 in Midland.
A new police cruiser intended for Jefferson Middle School's school resource officer (SRO) is parked in front of the Law Enforcement Center Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 in Midland.
Midland’s school resource officers (SRO) will be riding in style, after the Midland Police Department picked up one of four new patrol cars featuring local school pride on Monday.
The patrol cars feature school spirit-inspired decals that were funded through a SRO millage approved by Midland voters in November 2018. According to MPD, a 0.4 mills were levied each year for four years.
The city said the upgrade serves as a dual purpose, to update the vehicles and connect with the school communities in another fashion.
“It allows for the school spirit to take place, but it also gives increased visibility to our officers within our schools,” said Brennon Warren, who is a community relations officer with MPD. “In the wake of the Oxford shooting, it allows us to show more support to our students.”
There is no cost to the schools for the resource officer program. An average Midland homeowner with a $150,000 home, for example, paid $30 per year through the millage passed on Nov. 6, 2018.
Since the Thursday announcement on Facebook, the police department’s cars have attracted more than 1,000 likes and more than 100 shares, mostly in support of the graphics.
The decals are coming from a graphics print shop based in Mount Pleasant. Just Fab Graphics is working with the city to complete a total of four vehicles.
The first completed vehicle highlights the huskies at Jefferson Middle School with a fresh graphics kit.
The vehicles are fully marked police cars which can also be used as a typical patrol vehicle. The department said Midland residents can expect to see the patrol cars in neighborhoods, driving on local streets and parked at city locations so officers can interact with community members.
“All of the (SRO) patrol cars are parked out in front of the schools, they have their own designated area where they are parked and they can be seen from the main entrances of each building,” Warren said. “Once the (officer) is inside the school itself, they have a uniform that identifies them.”
He said SROs can be found wearing a pair of khakis and a MPD polo shirt as an official uniform.
“It’s got the ‘police’ (designation) in reflective lettering on the back, and then (there is an) embroidered badge on the front with each individual officer’s badge number along with their name on the other side,” Warren explained.
Over the upcoming weeks, Just Fab’s Lindsay Theisen said the remaining vehicles will have a new decal installed. The owner and graphic designer said the Just Fab Graphics crew is currently in the second phase of decaling.
Theisen said Northeast Middle School’s unit is the next vehicle for decal. She said the department is picking up vehicles as they are completed and dropping another vehicle off throughout the decal process.
Warren said the second patrol car should be done soon. However, the remaining units do not have an expected date of completion because of uncertainty with timelines in respect of shipping delays.
Many Michigan school districts were shaken by the Nov. 30 shooting at Oxford High School, which resulted in four deaths and other student injuries. In response to how Midland’s school resource officers are doing after the incident, Warren said it has been a tough time.
“School and student safety is obviously a main priority with our officers,” he said. “That's why the connections that we can make as resource officers — they're there for the students, their safety and wellbeing. This is just another way to promote their school safety, and I think it is a crucial thing. That is what the main goal is here.”
According to the National Association of School Resource Officers, an SRO is a law enforcement officer with sworn authority. Warren said school resource officers also patrol Midland neighborhoods.
“They’re still full-time police officers,” he said, adding that students will be able to easily identify their resource officer on city roads. “We think (increasing community connections) is a very important thing to show (students) more support.”
According to MPD’s website, SROs also receive additional special training before working in their schools. For more information on the SROs, visit https://bit.ly/3GUzfWs.
Tess DeGayner is a reporter for the Midland Daily News. She joined the Daily News after studying journalism and broadcasting at Central Michigan University. DeGayner graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2021. She previously reported for WCMU Public Radio, the Traverse City Record-Eagle and the Tri-County Times - her hometown newspaper in Fenton, Michigan.