Laura Sharp became Aragon’s new Resource Officer for the 2017-2018 school year after former resource officer Steve Bennett resigned from his position.
Resource officers are sworn officers who have the duty of protecting and preventing crime in the American school environment.
Sharp described her job and said, “[It’s] ensuring the safety of kids on campus, if criminal issues come up, I address that. [My job is] just supporting the school and keeping the school safe … This is considered a specialty [assignment] for us, so we’re in the specialty for anywhere from two to four years. As long as I’m allowed to be here, I’ll be here.”
Sharp’s previous experience helped fuel her desire to work at Aragon.
“Prior to being a resource officer, I was at [a] juvenile detention,” she said. “I really enjoy working with [the] youth in San Mateo. And this is another way of getting to work with the youth of San Mateo.”
In contrast to her previous job, Sharp believes high schools have a different overall atmosphere.
“It’s different being in a high school, most of [the] kids stand off a little bit, but it’s a good school and the kids are generally friendly here so it’s nice,” she said. “I’ve had a blast so far, [there are] some fun kids … My favorite part of the day is getting out and talking with [them].”
As for her goals, Sharp hopes to change the misconceptions about the role of police.
“[I want to] maybe change minds about how people feel about police,” she said. “Especially in today’s culture with all the negatives in media.”
