LIBERTY - Village of Liberty Police Officer Adam Lake is no stranger to the hallways of the Liberty Central School District. Not only is Lake an alumni (Class of 2001), but he is in his tenth season as one of the varsity football coaches. And now he gets the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students who were once in the same position as himself, an opportunity he says he is “grateful for.”

Lake recently began working at the Liberty CSD full-time as a school resource officer, or SRO. He said one cool perk of the job is that some of his old teachers are now his coworkers.

Lake joins the district's existing SRO, Devin Brust, in enhancing school safety and providing education and support to students and staff members on a variety of topics, including drug abuse, violence, bullying and theft.

“They're more than just police officers,” Liberty Middle School Assistant Principal Patrick Sullivan said. According to Sullivan, who is also the Director of the District Safety Committee, the SROs are here to build positive relationships with students.

“They're mentors and informal counselors, too,” Sullivan said.

For the past five years, one SRO has been serving the district full-time through an intergovernmental agreement between the district and police department. To better support students and staff, Liberty Board of Education members, in August, agreed to expand the contract to include a second officer.

The move to add a second resource officer comes as a precaution in light of recent school shootings that have occurred across the United States - and at the request of several school officials and families. The district set aside funds for the additional school resource officer in its budget, which was approved by voters on May 15.

“The addition of a second school resource officer is a proactive step,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Augustine E. Tornatore said. “The community and I view safety of our students and staff as a top goal.”

Officer Lake and Brust will alternate their posts at the elementary and secondary campuses on a weekly basis. In addition to running the fifth-grade D.A.R.E programs, they will also consult with the district's various safety teams and host several staff training throughout the year to ensure that all district employees are prepared to respond to drills, evacuations and emergencies.

“We are grateful for the strong partnership we have with local law enforcement,” Dr. Tornatore said. “Knowing that [Liberty Police] Chief Scott Kinne and Officers Brust and Lake are focused on our safety allows us to keep our attention on educating our students.”

Officers Lake and Brust will continually seek out opportunities to interact with students - in the lunchroom, classroom or around the town.

The district would like families to know that additional suggestions are always welcomed. For more information about the school resource officer program, please contact your school building's main office or attend the next school board meeting.

As for what he looks forward to most, Lake said, “Just being in a position to help somebody, even if it's one student, multiple students or a whole class.”