New school resource officer assigned to Worthington High School

Stewart Chisham, The Daily Globe, Worthington, Minn.
·3 min read

Sep. 18—WORTHINGTON — Worthington High School has a new school resource officer this year in the form of Tyler Olson.

Olson, a Round Lake native, has served in law enforcement for 13 years. He attended a law enforcement program right out of high school and worked as a deputy for a couple of years before joining the Worthington Police Department in 2013, where he's proudly served the community since.

"I enjoy the job, being out and about, and the day is always different," Olson said. "I can't really sit at a desk, so being out there and meeting people from all walks of life, it's nice. It's what drew me to it."

This year, Olson has taken on an entirely new role as Worthington High School's resource officer alongside Dan Brouillet, who has been in the position for about a decade.

As a school resource officer, Olson will take on various duties as he works closely with Nobles County Community Services. These tasks include working with the Child Advocacy Center (CAC), assisting in forensic interviews with juveniles, addressing student concerns and helping to prevent on-campus criminal activity.

Additionally, Olson will teach D.A.R.E. courses, which he believes are "an important part of the relationship between the department and kids." D.A.R.E. will be taught each day at the intermediate school beginning in October.

Olson is excited to take on the new year, but with change comes a challenge. The recent string of resource officer contracts being canceled in school districts around the state due to language approved by the Minnesota Legislature last session has certainly been difficult.

Part of a general education bill signed by Gov. Tim Walz, the new legislation does not permit officers to physically restrain students, opening them up to criminal charges and lawsuits should they choose to do so. The black-and-white wording of the law has been criticized for being too vague and murky, considering the vast variety of situations officers may face in the position.

"Probably the only thing I'll say is that hopefully, with time, comes more clarity for it," Olson said.

In the past two weeks, several Minnesota school districts pulled their school resource officer program because of the change.

Still, Olson remains faithful in the program, and hopes to see it continued in the Worthington area.

"I think that most people are in agreement that SROs are needed both for the community, the school itself and mostly for the kids," Olson said. "Things happen in our schools, and I feel that our SROs, having that constant interaction with the kids, allows us to be a familiar face, and more easily resolve situations that are happening."

Having school-aged children at home, Olson has enjoyed the first couple weeks in his new role, taking the time to learn and communicate with the high school staff and students.

"It's been a lot of learning my role, learning who's who and what their roles are and figuring out how we can all work the best together for the common goal of doing what's best for our community," Olson said. "I'm thankful for the opportunity and excited to see what the year brings and the years after."