BROOKINGS – Eric Warkenthien is going back to school, in a manner of speaking.

Starting this school year, Warkenthien became one of the Brookings School District’s two school resource officers, and alongside School Resource Officer Josh Schneider, he’s going to work hard to ensure students have a safe learning environment.

Resource officers handle a variety of tasks. Any crimes that happen at school, such as theft, harassment, disruptive students, drug activity or physical or sexual assault, then the resource officer becomes involved.

Based out of Mickelson Middle School, Warkenthien also will be responsible for Camelot Intermediate and Dakota Prairie Elementary.

With nearly two weeks of school completed, he’s enjoying the job so far, even with the change of pace from his previous role as a patrol officer.

It’s certainly a change of pace from the school he attended back in Woonsocket, where he graduated in a high school class of 13 students.

Learning the names of students, teachers and staff has been a challenge, but it is a challenge he’s glad to have, in a job he was eager to start.

It was kind of inevitable that he’d end up working in law enforcement, not because it’s something family has done but because it’s something he’s always been interested in. Being an officer was a way to make a difference in his community and serve as a positive role model for others, especially children, all while helping others in need.

“They look up to you and think you’re this superhero in their eyes,” he said.

Warkenthien graduated from Dakota Wesleyan with degrees in corporate homeland security and criminal justice, working as a correctional officer at the Davison County jail for two years during college.

He joined the Brookings Police Department back in January 2016 as a patrol officer. It was a busy first few days on the job with him and his wife moving to town the day before he started.

But he, his wife, Shelby, and their 4-year-old and 2-year-old have enjoyed their time in Brookings.

“We try to go to the Children’s Museum as much as we can, and they like going there and to all the parks that Brookings has and having fun,” he said.

When he first heard about the chance to become a school resource officer, Warkenthien wasn’t sure if he was ready to try for the job, but he kept thinking about it over and over again.

“I knew that eventually I would want to be more involved with the schools and juveniles, so as I thought about it more, talked about it with my wife, we thought it’d be a good fit for both me and our family,” Warkenthien.

And since starting, it hasn’t disappointed. Since starting, he has taken care to be out in each of the three schools he oversees. As important as that is, he sees it as an important part of building a relationship of trust with the students and staff, which is his highest priority.

“I’m trying to make them see me … as someone they can come up to and talk to in the hallway or come to my office and talk to if anything is bothering them or concerning them,” he explained.

This all plays into one of the main duties of a school resource officer: ensuring school safety. Already, he’s looking forward to some of the presentations that will be given to the students, such as D.A.R.E., tips on safely using social media and Halloween safety.

In the meantime, “My main role right now is to get the students aware that I am available for them to come talk to if they need to talk.”

Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.