Law Enforcement Week — Chaffee SRO James Lyerla: Role model for students

The first time James Lyerla interacted with law enforcement was when he was 8 years old. He was playing in the street with other kids when the officer came up, introduced himself and gave them baseball cards. This interaction had stayed in the back of his mind for many years.

Lyerla is now the Chaffee, Missouri, school district school resource officer (SRO). He has been with Chaffee Police Department for about eight years and an SRO for two of these years. In the 23 weeks of police academy, Lyerla decided in the back of his mind that his specialization or niche would be as an officer in a school district.

Lyerla said his favorite thing about his job is that the students get to know who he is and that he can be a positive role model for them.

During his time at both the elementary and high school buildings, he has been asked two questions more often than any others.

"Have you ever shot anyone?"

"Can you Tase me?"

He had one student as soon as the SRO program started two years ago who immediately started asking to be shocked with the non-lethal device.

"One of the kids that just graduated this past year started asking me last year, 'Can you Tase me?' So I told him on the day he graduated, I'd hit him with the Tasers. I didn't. But you know, it was our running joke," Lyerla said.

Lyerla said that if he had to choose a favorite day so far from working as an SRO it would be the elementary play day from this past year. He was able to be in the dunking booth for the youngsters, saying the experience was "a blast".

He also enjoys being the DARE instructor for students in the fifth grade, saying that he is able to tell his own personal story in the program and, hopefully, give the students a positive message for their future.

When he is not at the school, he is still involved with the community, such as having up to three students ride with him in parades to throw out candy from the police vehicle.

This summer, he has received a new work vehicle and will be updating it to be seen as a school police car. He has talked to many students about the type of design they would like to see on the new car. One student gave him the idea to add the Chaffee pitchfork on the front glass.

"My idea is to kind of make it more of a school car where the kids can see it. They can recognize it as, 'Hey, this is our car.' And that's what I want. I want kids to recognize it. Biggest thing is, I want kids to approach police officers and not be scared of them." Lyerla said.

Before being an SRO Lyerla was in the field. Being in law enforcement has both good days and bad days. Lyerla said one of if not his best days started out with a call across the radio that was a very bad call.

"My best call is one that came across the radio as a very bad call, but I'm glad it turned out for the best. It was an 11-month-old that was unresponsive. I can't tell you how fast I drove to get there. And luckily when I got there, he was coherent. He was breathing. He still went to the hospital after all that, but it turned out for the best. And I still talk to their kid and his dad." Lyerla said.

The worst calls and days for Lyerla are the days when death is involved.

"Suicides. Those are the worst ones. I can't narrow down one in particular," Lyerla said. "They've all been bad. When we are dealing with death, it is one of the hardest things about this job."

Lyerla said that when in the police academy they tell you to have an outlet to be able to talk about this side of the career. He said he has his wife to talk to and she helps him mentally get through the tough things he has to see.

"The biggest thing I can say is ... this career is not a glamorous job. You're gonna get cussed out. You're gonna get screamed at. You're gonna get called and a lot of names. A lot of people do not like you. But you don't do it for that, you do it for the service and community," Lyerla said.

He recommended those who think law enforcement is a career path they would like to pursue to go on ride-alongs, get into dispatch or corrections first. This will show how stressful a job a dispatcher or corrections officer can be.

Lyerla said that he would like people to know that those in law enforcement are people, too.

"We have feelings. We have heartache. We might not seem like it at the time, but we do feel for the families that have lost a loved one or going through tough times. We do feel for them. And even though there are some not-so-good officers there are good ones, too."