School Resource Program

In 1999, the Washington City Council, the Washington High School district and the Washington Police Department formed a partnership to help identify the issues and problems that face Washington’s youth.

At that time, the Washington Police Department initiated a special program during the 1999-2000 school year by securing a grant to hire an additional Police Officer that would be assigned to Washington Community High School. High School students in Washington soon became familiar with a new face in their school building – A Washington Police Officer.

The School Resource Officer program enables the Washington Police Department to work directly within the high school setting to facilitate and foster positive relationships between police officers, students, and school employees. This prevention-oriented program focuses increased attention on youth problems, concerns and unlawful activities on a proactive basis. The program's express goal has been to promote a positive learning and educational setting for high school students, and a healthy, solid environment for the community.

Both the Washington Police Department and the Washington Community High School employ personnel that are trained to deal with young people who engage in anti-social and counterproductive behavior. By pooling these resources on a day-to-day basis, we will hopefully be more successful in satisfying the needs of the community's youth. The school setting is an ideal situation for this program.

The primary goal of schools is to educate young people, so the information and messages the School Resource Officer wants to convey should be best received here. It has been the ultimate goal of this officer to deter students from involvement in criminal acts, alcohol and drug use, theft, violence, gang activity, and other forms of socially unacceptable behavior. In the past, most contact between police officers and young people has been in negative situations. By making an officer available for consultation and teaching in a less formal and more approachable situation, this program will build trust, respect and open new channels of communication.

The School Resource Officer is responsible for:

  • Building positive relationships with students in an effort to promote greater respect for law enforcement activities.
  • Acting as a resource in law enforcement-related issues.
  • Serving as a law enforcement resource for students, teachers, parents, and the community.
  • Assisting in designing educational programs related to preventing unlawful activity in the community.
  • Protecting the high school and middle school campuses from violations of any law.
  • Assisting school officials in more effective response to student and non-student criminal offenses.

Officer Troi Westbrook serves as the School Resource Officer and he can be reached during the school year at the Washington Community High School, (309) 444-5523.