Resource officers protect their schools, befriend their students

Fist bumps and greetings by name are shared with students passing on their way to classes.

Endless hours of walking the hallways, checking door locks, parking lots, the exterior campus, remaining vigilant to issues, inside or out, that could impact the students and faculty, disrupt learning or pose a risk.

Making the rounds in the cafeteria, ketchup bottle in one hand and Cane’s sauce in the other, learning what’s on the minds of middle schoolers.

It's all part of the job for School Resource Officer Joshual Simmons of the Covington Police Department, as it is for others such officers assigned to pre-K through grade 12 schools throughout St. Tammany Parish. The primary mission of these officers, commonly referred to as SROs, is to help keep children safe every school day, but other benef