Friday, March 29, 2024

From Government teacher to School Resource Officer

Posted

CHELAN/MANSON: Deputy Nigel Hunter is the new School Resource Officer for the Lake Chelan and Manson School Districts.

Deputy Hunter has been serving both school districts since the start of the new school year. He has been involved in law enforcement for three years.

“I started in 2001, I started in Oregon, then down to California and back up here in Washington. I was coaching and I was teaching and that was something I really enjoyed, but as I was teaching government I came to appreciate better the role of law enforcement in American society,” said Deputy Hunter.

The other contributing  factor for switching careers was school shootings. “They continue to increase, they continue to be actual practical interventions required and if something happened there was really nothing I could do about it … there was little to nothing that I could do to make sure that my kids were safe in the classroom.”

Hunter then wanted to be prepared for any situation in his future he could encounter. At that time he was still young and wanted to give law enforcement a try, “if I have the opportunity to do something different that would still provide for my family I would do that.”

In 2015, Hunter was picked up by Chelan County Sheriff Department. “I am very grateful to be working here, because I do believe that this agency has the right idea about the role that law enforcement plays with the general public,” said Hunter.

This is Hunter’s  first time as a SRO and he sees this new position as a new opportunity. He is responsible for the public safety, however Hunter is also there for community support.

So far his experience working for both Districts has been very positive. He claims that both Chelan and Manson Schools are very similar which makes it easier for him to leave one school and go to the next one, he wears the same “hat” at all the schools he monitors.

Currently, Deputy Hunter is working on getting to know the students at the different schools and building a healthy relationship with the staff.

A personal goal of his to understand the culture of both Chelan and Manson and what is like to be from a small town community.

Deputy Hunter encourages everyone to speak out if they sense risk or threat, “we are here to make Chelan a safer place.”
 

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