Frisco ISD resource officer embraces school community, becomes a member of the family
FRISCO — School resource officers can be controversial — some love them and want more and some people think they make problems worse.
But many of the SROs in schools are men and women dedicated to one job: keeping kids safe at school.
School resource officer Dario Moreno, at Hunt Middle School in Frisco ISD, sees himself not just as an employee, but as part of the community.
"He is somewhat of a celebrity. I think they like him more than they like me sometimes," said Victoria Williams, principal at Hunt Middle School. "Our community, our students, and our staff feel so much safer on our campus."
For Williams, Moreno is an asset.
"He is always in the hallways during passing periods," she said. "You can find him fist-bumping kids, handing out stickers, handing out candy. You can find him in the cafeteria sitting down having lunch with students, playing games with them."
Last year, state lawmakers passed HB-3, which requires every district to have armed personnel on every single campus.
"They see his car or they see him outside or they see his presence in the hallway," Williams said. "That might stop some kids from getting in some trouble because they see Officer Moreno in the hallways."
"An officer coming into the school program definitely has to have those special characteristics to be able to connect with the kids and educate and teach," said Frisco PD Lt. Justin Hawthorn, who runs the SRO unit. "But they also have to be willing and capable to go and protect those kids in the worst moments possible."
Frisco PD and Frisco ISD have one of the oldest partnerships between a police department and a school district in Texas. There are nearly 40 Frisco police officers in Frisco schools.
After serving on the SWAT team, Moreno has been an SRO for about two years.
"It's been a very rewarding experience," he said.
Moreno is famous on campus for arm wrestling students. You can read CBS News Texas reporter Bo Evans' interview with him, while arm wrestling, below.
Bo Evans: "What made you want to become an SRO?"
Dario Moreno: "I like helping out the community. I like doing events, especially with our services department."
Moreno: 1, Evans: 0.
Evans: "How do you feel you keep the kids safer while you're here?"
Moreno: "I spend a lot of time in the hallways. I get to know the kids — you know, the kids that are here. Find out what's going on, what's happening. A lot of kids have older siblings. A lot of kids deal with stuff at home."
Moreno: 2, Evans: 0.
Evans: "What are the biggest issues facing kids? How do you think it's different from when you or I grew up?"
Moreno: "Kids have so much access to technology, and it's just kind of scary. They see stuff, they might not fully understand stuff, and then it's kind of go with what they see. I've talked to kids like, 'Hey, so why did you do this? Why do you think it's a good idea?' And they say, 'I don't know, I saw it on YouTube.' And it's like, really?"
Moreno: 3, Evans: 0.
Evans: "I think threats of violence come from inside and outside of schools these days. We're seeing it more and more. Does that keep you up at night?"
Moreno: "In the schools we have now, we have multiple SWAT operators that are in different schools. We also have containment guys that have additional training in schools. We have a really good set of officers in schools taking care of these kids. And I think that gives a lot of peace of mind."
Evans: "Last question. Last arm wrestle. What is the best school cafeteria lunch they serve here?"
Moreno: "Oh, it's going to be the steamed rice and teriyaki chicken. It's great."
Moreno: 4, Evans: 0.
It may not have been the best idea to arm-wrestle a former member of the SWAT team, but it was a good idea to meet a man who's dedicated to his job, who's endeared himself to his community and who wants to keep people in his world safe.