New School Resource Officer On Duty At NHS

By Andrew Gorosko

Since 2002, Jason Flynn has plied the local roads as a town police patrol officer, responding to emergencies as they occurred, or making routine security checks while working to keep the peace.

For the past month though, Officer Flynn has been operating in a different sphere while serving as the new school resource officer at Newtown High School.

Officer Flynn, 30, explained this week that he has multiple duties as a resource officer at the Berkshire Road facility, where a school expansion project is underway.

“My main responsibility is dealing with crime and investigations at the high school,” he said. His duties will include an educational component through which he will provide students with information on topics such as teenage driver regulations, drunken driving, and drug abuse, he added.

Officer Flynn said the school resource officer post provides him with “a new challenge” after having worked on patrol duty for nearly seven years.

Officer Flynn replaces Officer Dana Schubert as the resource officer. Officer Schubert is now working on patrol duty.

“So far, so good…No major problems,” Officer Flynn said of his recent transition to a high school environment. “It’s definitely a big change; it takes some adjustment,” he said.

The policeman explained that police assigned to the schools work closely with school administrators in investigating criminal cases. The administrators have more latitude than police in their interaction with students and often make police aware of situations that require police investigation, thus facilitating the police’s enforcement work in a school environment. The high school has one principal and three assistant principals.

Besides Officer Flynn, the police department has two other officers working in local schools — School Resource Officer Leonard Penna and Youth Officer Gladys Pisani.

At the high school, Officer Flynn has his desk in the school security office. When not working there, he likes to walk about the premises interacting with the students and school personnel.

As part of his duties, he expects to conduct an informational program for students known as Student Police Academy, which will provide participants with an overview of local law enforcement within the context of the criminal justice system.

As the school resource officer, Officer Flynn is available to listen to students who want to discuss personal problems or describe matters which they believe warrant police investigation, he explained.

The policeman said that in his role as a liaison between the police department and the high school, he would like to have students view police in a positive light, rather than in a purely law enforcement role. The resource officer position contains a mentoring/role modeling component, he noted.

The police officer has the option of wearing a police uniform or working in plainclothes while on duty, and so far has opted to wear the uniform while at work at the high school.

“Where I’m at right now, I’m happy,” Officer Flynn said.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe said of Officer Flynn’s assignment to the high school, “Jason Flynn has been around for a while. He’s very steady. He works well in a team setting. He’s very well liked. He’s respected among his peers.”

“He’s got a great demeanor [and is]a person of good character. He’s going to make an excellent addition to the high school team,” Chief Kehoe said.

While previously working on patrol duty, Officer Flynn served as a field training officer for police recruits. He also worked as a child safety seat technician, explaining the complexities of those automotive devices to the public.