Student resource officers Shayne Kotara and Chance Kidd dedicate their lives to protecting the students here at AHS. Still, some might not see them going above and beyond by handing out candy, high-fiving students in the hallway or lending a helping hand to anyone in need.

Officer Kidd was actually a high school teacher early in his law enforcement career.

“In 2012 I was hired by Azle ISD,” Kidd said. “I was a three-year officer at the time, and I was interested in teaching law enforcement, so I got my teaching certificate and taught principles of law and law enforcement one here at the high school for the 2012-2013 school year.”

However, the teaching life isn’t for everyone.

“I found out teaching was difficult and went back to being a police officer full time, but I knew that I enjoyed the environment of being able to just build relationships within the community amongst our youth,” Kidd said.

One of the reasons senior Emily Smith said she appreciates the SROs is that they are a visible part of the school.

They’re always patrolling at all times, and you don’t really often see them in their office,” she said. “They’re always like walking around the school and especially during passing periods.”

Over the last ten years, our school and community has expanded quite a bit.

“When I first started being a school resource officer, it was just two of us for the entire district,” Kidd said. “And as we progressed, we had to expand as well and the school district has a police department now.”

After working in undercover narcotics for 12 years, Kotara said becoming a school resource officer was a big switch.

“The biggest challenge that I found from being an undercover narcotics officer to a school resource officer is no one knew what I did, and I was incognito for 12 years as a police officer, and then I made the change to everybody knows who I am,” Kotara said. “So that was a big challenge.”

Kotara said that the key to being a good SRO is versatility because of how many different types of situations they often face.

“We kind of work for two different people, you know,” he said. “We have the law-side and then we have the school-side, but you also have to get relationships with the kids.”