Officer Chris Carlson says Mount Vernon SRO role focuses on education, prevention and campus safety

Officer Chris Carlson, the school resource officer at Mount Vernon High School, told The Roll Call Room that the department’s SRO program is focused on education, prevention and relationship-building rather than school discipline. "The way that I perform the role of a school resource officer is a lot less about enforcement, has nothing to do with discipline, and is much more as an educator," Carlson said.

Carlson said he teaches a full-period criminal justice class through the district’s CTE (career and technical education) program that now also counts as a social-studies credit. He described classroom topics such as citizens' and juveniles' rights and said the class helps some students catch up on credits: "So yeah, full time class...they're getting some of those credits," Carlson said.

Beyond the classroom, Carlson cataloged several prevention and outreach efforts. He described 'High Five Friday' and first‑day photo traditions, an SRO Instagram account used to build rapport, and a summer Preparatory Academy that offers hands-on activities (crime‑scene exercises, canine demonstrations, radar/LIDAR practice) and acts as a recruiting and informational week for students. Carlson noted at least one Prep Academy graduate now works for the department.

Carlson also explained the department’s early-intervention approach. As a gang resource officer he helps convene a monthly Intervention Prevention Action Group that includes juvenile detention, probation, school officials and community providers to create plans for students who show risk factors "before it turns into a criminal incident," he said.

On campus safety design, Carlson described Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) measures the school has adopted: adding a perimeter fence, adjusting landscaping to remove hiding spots and engaging students in CPTED analyses as a class project. He said the district uses a "smart pass" digital hall-pass system that can reveal unusual patterns—"If you have one student who's going to the bathroom 20 times a day, two things are happening," Carlson said—so staff can identify medical or social concerns.

Carlson emphasized that SROs do not handle routine school discipline. "Absolutely zero...that is not part of my role as an SRO," he said, adding that he intervenes when there is an actual law-enforcement issue and that much of his job is mediation and education to prevent juvenile charges.

He also described operational benefits of having a familiar officer on campus in threat situations. After a string of swatting robocalls along the I‑5 corridor, Carlson said his immediate familiarity with the campus allowed him to assess a tip quickly and avoid a schoolwide lockdown in Mount Vernon: "Because we were in there so quickly and were able to determine that this might be a swatting incident, we were able to not go into lockdown," he said. He credited rehearsed reunification exercises and coordination with school administrators for minimizing educational disruption.

Carlson outlined a confidential "Handle with Care" notification system used in the region: when first responders encounter juveniles exposed to potentially traumatic events, they notify the Educational Service District (ESD for Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties), which sends a confidential message to the school so staff can offer supports without compromising privacy or investigations.

Host and Carlson also discussed neighborhood impacts tied to drop-off traffic and parking (Carlson said the high school has "almost 1,800 people" on a typical school day), and summer outreach with the traffic unit to reduce complaints.

The interview closed with mutual thanks; there were no policy votes or formal actions during the episode.