MBS SRO team named best in state

Six Mountain Brook school resource officers were recently recognized as the state's best SRO team for the 2022-23 school year by The Alabama Association of School Resource Officers.

Mountain Brook Schools Superintendent Dicky Barlow and the school’s Board of Education collaborated with the City of Mountain Brook in 2018 to ensure an SRO was on every school’s campus. The Mountain Brook SROs have a combined 100 years of police service and are specially trained to work in school settings.

“We are so thankful to our SRO team and truly appreciate our partnership with the city to have them in our schools and around our people,” Barlow said. “They are a high-performing and experienced group who value the relationships with the students, staff and the school community.”

The SRO team serving and protecting those in Mountain Brook Schools are:

► Corporal Glen White

► Officer Tommy Tanner

► Officer Daphne Horton

► Officer Ro Burrow

► Officer Lance Ziska

► Officer Richard Knecht

“Our incredible school resource officers dedicate themselves to not only protecting our schools each and every day, but also establishing meaningful relationships with our students, faculty, staff and families,” Mayor Stewart Welch said. “This award is much deserved, and we’re proud to honor these officers in our schools. The city is immensely thankful for their daily commitment to ensuring a safe environment on our campuses.”

“They are an active part of the life in Mountain Brook Schools and our students, families, and staff are so grateful for the support and protection they provide on a daily basis,” Mountain Brook Schools Director of Student Services Amanda Hood said. “They are easily some of the most recognizable people on campus and known throughout our community as champions for our students and schools.”

“The Mountain Brook City Council could not be prouder of our SROs,” City Council President Virginia Carruthers Smith said. “Their role within our school system is indispensable, and it is evident through their exceptional service why they deserved this state-wide recognition.”Mountain Brook Police Chief Jay Loggins said this group is one of the most important units in the police department.

“The men and women that serve as SROs develop relationships with the kids and parents that lay the groundwork for the interactions between the police department and the community,” Loggins said. “They not only love their job, but love the kids and the schools which they serve. The recognition of the best SRO team comes as no surprise. They are loved by the school administrators, the parents and most importantly, the kids.”

– Submitted by Lillian Brand, City of Mountain Brook, and William Galloway, Mountain Brook Schools.

SARAH BRUMFIELD, LPTA, CPT

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