School resource officers add podcasts to their toolkits

By Julie Cornell

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Deputy Colin Driscoll has an eye on every corner of Westview High School. And he’s always looking for ways to serve the students he also protects, daily. As a School Resource Officer and Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy, he knows the value of connecting students to positive outlets.

He said his role is bigger than most people think, “…mentoring, informal counselor, go in and educate about drug trends,” said Driscoll.

Driscoll decided to become a school resource officer when he was studying to be an educator, in college. He was ten minutes away from the Sandy Hook massacre when it happened in 2010.

“I remember getting very emotional when I saw the number of first graders that were murdered there that day,” said Driscoll.

Part of Driscoll’s job is connecting with students who might be at risk and gaining their trust. He knows that every student is not on the path to college and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department sees that as an opportunity to pull young people into the trades.

“Not every kid needs to go to college to be successful and most in law enforcement know that by exposing young people to skilled trades, we can increase our chances of disrupting cycles of poverty and crime,” said Aaron Hanson, Douglas County Sheriff.

Hanson said the trades offer good careers to help avoid student debt, fill in-demand jobs and raise their future families with dignity.

“If there’s just one student that can have success after facing adversity, I know that I did a solid job,” said Driscoll.

All 8 Douglas County School Resource Officers take part in monthly podcasts where they learn about various jobs in the trades and opportunities that exist outside the walls of high school. They work with UNO and the Nebraska Workforce Development as well as trade unions to explore various jobs and career paths. Then they can use that knowledge to help steer young people they interact with.

To listen to the podcasts, click here:

open.spotify.com/show/4GUsGOYg7raiB7LQc5A1lf

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