A new face in uniform at OHS

Ottumwa Courier - 8/27/2019

Aug. 26--OTTUMWA -- Students in Ottumwa have long been accustomed to the presence of police officers roaming the halls of Evans and the high school. These officers, who are often on a first-name basis with students, provide the schools with security and are responsible for instructing the Gang Resistance Education and Training program at Evans.

The School Resource Officer Program began in the wake of a fatal 1994 shooting at the high school that left one student dead. Since that time, the Ottumwa Police Department has staffed one officer at Evans and another at OHS.

Officer Scott Carlson had his first day working at the high school on Friday. Coincidentally, it was also his son's first day as a high school freshman.

"I don't know how thrilled about it he is," Carlson said with a laugh.

With more than 25 years' service with the OPD, Carlson has had experience on all three of the department's patrol shifts, worked to train officers for more than 10 years, and served as the liaison officer with the housing authority for another five. It's a big career shift, but Carlson welcomes the opportunity.

"I just wanted a chance to be able to work with the kids and try to not only keep the kids safe, but try and build a rapport and relationship with them. You know, kind of try and bridge that gap between law enforcement and kids," he said. "For a lot of kids, their only interaction with law enforcement is negative. I want to maybe change that."

For Carlson, this rapport-building means showing the students that a police officer is more than just a uniform.

"I want them to see that we're people like them, we have similar interests and families and that sort of stuff. Someone they can come up and talk to if they want to talk about something."

Carlson and his partner at the high school, Officer Brandon Gravett, start each day by greeting the students as they come in the building. From there, the officers may be tasked with anything from patrolling the halls and building premises to helping the administrators with students who are being difficult to handle.

"The number one goal of the school resource officer is to keep kids safe," Carlson explained. He then stressed again the importance of maintaining positive rapport with the staff and students in the building. "We need help from people to get our job done. So having a good relationship with the kids, the teachers, and the administrators so that we can do our job too."

It's clear Carlson has the temperament required to build the kind of positive relationships he's hoping for. Soft spoken and amenable, Carlson wore a smile anywhere he went.

"I do like it," he said. "Everybody here seems really receptive to me being here; it seems like I can talk to people pretty easily. The teachers, administrators, everybody's been great."

Jack Langland can be reached at jlangland@ottumwacourier.com.

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