What it’s like being a School Resource Officer

Life as a school resource officer (SRO) is tiring at times, but there are positives.

Silas Crews became a school resource officer for Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s department after encountering kids who were struggling with issues during his policing job with the Danville Police department. He wants to do his best to help kids in the schooling system as well as other people.

“I thought that if I could change one kid, I may be able to change them all, so I started doing my best helping students who had problems,” Crews said. “It gives me a sense of satisfaction to know that the students I’ve helped are doing better in their lives!”

Before becoming a SRO, Crews helped out in the Danville policing community, doing undercover work and investigations.

“I started off in the Danville police department working undercover and doing investigations,” Officer Crews said. “Before retiring, I went to the school system to become an SRO; I spent two years at Langston High and then went to Bonner Middle for four years.”

Being a SRO requires a lot of work. Officer Crews gets up early, and when he gets to school he has to do many tasks throughout his day to make sure students and staff are safe.

“I start my day by getting up at 7 a.m. and getting ready. Then when I get to the school, I help with directing car riders and buses until 8:30,” Crews said. “Throughout the day, I visit lunches and talk with students as well as check the doors and classrooms to make sure everything’s okay.”

His emotions aren’t always the same. On some days he feels satisfied with what he has done, but on other days he feels dissatisfied.

“Sometimes I feel satisfied at the end of my shift knowing I helped a lot of students,” Crews said. ” But there are times where I don’t feel satisfied because I know there are still some students who are doing bad things.”

Officer Crews enjoys helping students and many other people. He likes seeing the smiles on everybody’s faces and enjoys talking to the students at lunch. He wishes to make the school trouble free, and a place where no one would feel left out.