Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputy Mitch Scott, who serves as one of the Rochester Community School Corp.’s school resource officers, stands inside Rochester Middle School, where his office is located. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputy Mitch Scott said he enjoys “making on impact on lives.”

It’s why he decided to become a school resource officer.

Scott has served as one of Rochester Community Schools Corp’s SROs since January. He works alongside the school corporation’s original SRO, Skeeter Daugherty. Daugherty covers Riddle and Columbia elementary schools, while Scott oversees Rochester Middle School and Rochester High School.

Scott had been with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office for a while when the opportunity to take SRO training came about. He then filled in for Daugherty, while he was on medical leave.

“It just kind of came about the ‘Hey, the school would like two SROs and would you be interested in staying?’ ” said Scott.

He said his tasks vary from day to day.

“Typically, anything criminal that happens on school grounds, I’m here to take care of,” said Scott. “I just help out the administration team, the staff to be that positive law enforcement role model for … staff and students, but ultimately the main goal is to ensure the safety and security of all staff, students and visitors.”

Scott said he’s happy to help students see him in a less serious way than when he worked the road.

“When I started walking around the schools, I would see kids that I’d go to their houses at night when I worked, and they would come running up to me and (say), ‘Hi, cop. Hi, cop,’” said Scott. “One of the most rewarding things is … we’re not this negative perception like people think, we’re actually this highlight in those kids’ lives.”

He said he likes helping students as a “person they feel they can come to.

“Helping (kids) through their issues and their problems is … (feeling), like I’m making an impact in their life,” said Scott.

“Building the relationships between the community and law enforcement is huge, and being a positive role model in the kids’ lives, is very rewarding,” said Scott. “For somebody who wants to do this job as a law enforcement officer, as a school resource officer, I would just encourage them that the impact you make will forever stay with the individual that you affected.”

Being in law enforcement was natural for Scott, as his father and uncles worked as officers in Marshall and St. Joseph counties.

Scott hails from Plymouth and graduated with Plymouth High School’s class of 2016.

After high school, he worked at the Starke County Jail, before moving to the Fulton County Jail, and then becoming an Fulton County Sheriff’s deputy.

Scott is married with two children. He said he’s had great co-workers who have become like uncles to his kids.

“Those guys; it’s like a brotherhood between us,” he said, adding, it’s amazing “to know that … whether or not we’re in the trenches together, or we’re just hanging out outside work, I can always count on those guys, and they’ll have my back.”