As Middleton High School (MHS)’s first semester draws to an end, students are in the full swing of the new school year. Same hallways, same schedule, but slightly different-looking School Resource Officers (SRO.) Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, students may notice that SROs are now in full uniform. This change was implemented to continue ensuring students’ security throughout the semesters by increasing officer visibility and their access to equipment.
In July, the school district appointed two new SROs as part of their expansion of security services at both the elementary and middle schools and MHS, in collaboration with the Middleton Police Department. Officer Cassidy Ruchti was newly appointed to serve as SRO for Kromrey Middle School and district elementary schools, while Officer Jake Ungerer joined Officer Kevin Thompson at MHS. The district highlighted the role of SROs as an additional security measure for students, responding to incidents while building trust within the school community.
The beginning of this semester marked the SRO transition to full uniform, which includes distinctive police badges and gear along with tactical equipment. According to SRO Kevin Thompson, the benefit of wearing uniforms includes having access to necessary tools if incidents were to occur. Moreover, it allows SROs to wear vests for their safety in the prospect of any physical danger while also allowing students to identify them easily. On the other hand, wearing a uniform sacrifices some level of comfort for SROs. “I did enjoy being in plain clothes as well. It’s a lot more comfortable than wearing a vest and all my gear,” Thompson said.
Thompson recalls the transition being “fairly smooth” without significant differences in student behavior or reactions around uniformed officers.
“We’ve been trying to make it a point to get in the classrooms a lot more and get people to see us in uniforms and familiar with us, and they can ask any questions they have about our transition [to full uniform],” Thompson said.
On the other hand, some students feel as though uniforms have increased the distance between SROs and the school community. Noah Lucchesi, a senior, notes that the SROs seem less approachable now that they’re in full uniform.
“They’re here for our safety. They’re here for, you know, better interactions with law enforcement. I just want to make sure that the [student-SRO] relationship isn’t hindered by a lack of communication,” Lucchesi said.
Aleksa Coon, a sophomore, agrees that SROs in uniform makes them feel less approachable: “I remember that they’re like actual cops, which kind of makes me scared.” However, she acknowledges that from a safety standpoint, uniform makes the officers more identifiable.
While Siddarth Chandra, a sophomore, also sees uniforms as intimidating, he notes that they are a good way to identify that someone is a police officer. In times of distress, the instant recognizability can also be comforting. Chandra also suggests that officers opt for a compromise between full uniform and casual clothes.
“They might consider some less intimidating uniform, maybe just a badge or something that would make them identifiable while also reducing how unapproachable a cop might be,” Chandra explained.
Despite the change in how SROs are perceived due to their uniform, students note that there isn’t a huge difference from the previous policy. Similarly, Thompson concludes that he’s more or less impartial on the topic of uniforms. However, as the MCPAD district continues to revise its safety procedures throughout the semester and into the next school year, it’s worth taking student perspectives into account on changes such as these to optimize MHS’ environment.
