DOWNEY – As a 32-year veteran of the Downey Police Department, there are not many things Cpl. Mike Pope hasn’t seen. 

But last February, he experienced a first. 

“I was at Gallatin Elementary and after the students asked me the typical cop questions, they started asking me for my autograph, like I’m some rock star or something,” Pope laughed. “I signed my name over 100 times.” 

Pope is one of the Downey Police Department’s 20 sworn police officers enrolled in the department’s school resource program, a rotating shift of officers that spend their days off patrolling Downey Unified’s three public high schools. 

The Feb. 14 mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida thrust campus safety into the national conversation, but it’s an issue the Downey community first tackled 20 years ago. Police officers began patrolling Downey school campuses in 1998, when the non-profit Gangs Out of Downey fronted $50,000 to start the pilot program. Today, the program is mostly funded by the Downey Unified School District.

Each school – Downey, Warren and Columbus – has an armed officer on campus during school hours. Officers are assigned to the same school to build rapport with students and staff; on days an officer can’t work due to vacation or sickness, an alternate police officer is called in to cover the shift.

Pope, 49, has participated in the program since its inception. Hired by Downey PD in 1986, he’s worked in many of the department’s units, including undercover narcotics and gang investigations, but working at the schools “is the funnest, most rewarding detail of my career,” he said.

“I get to interact with kids I normally wouldn’t meet and they see life from an officer’s perspective. This isn’t work I dread doing.”

Pope graduated from Warren High School and is assigned to patrol Downey High. Most of the issues he’s asked to address involved disciplinary issues, including students caught with marijuana or vaping devices.

“School has definitely changed since I first started,” said Pope, who is two months away from retirement. “Kids today have to deal with social media and so many other things. I try to be more heartfelt with students; if they’re having issues at school, they’re usually having issues at home.” 

According to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control advocacy group, the U.S. averages one school shooting every 2.5 days. As of last week, 130 people have been killed in shootings on elementary, middle school and high school campuses since 2000, according to statistics compiled by the Washington Post. Another 58 were fatally shot at colleges and universities. 

It’s against this backdrop that Pope patrols the Warren High campus, greeting teachers and staff by nicknames. At more than 6 feet tall, with a bald head and wearing wrap-around sunglasses, Pope is an intimidating figure but that doesn’t stop students from greeting him with fist bumps and nods of appreciation.

“They don’t always say hi or thank you, especially the boys when they’re around their buddies,” said Pope. “But a lot of kids still tell me they appreciate me being here. They’ve told me it makes them feel safe.”

One recent lunchtime, Pope spotted a boy eating alone on a bench and sat down next to him. The boy appeared apprehensive at first but three minutes later was showing Pope his science project. 

“Last year, I ran into two former students who were here getting their transcripts for nursing school,” Pope said. “One of the girls I had arrested for having a knife on campus. She told me later she had never had a male role model speak to her the way I had.

“Those interactions are very rewarding.” 

According to Sgt. Leigh Lacy of the Downey Police Department, school resource officers not only provide security for the campus, but they help strengthen bonds between law enforcement and teens.

“The last thing we want is for students to not feel safe at a place of education,” said Sgt. Lacy. “Officers are very approachable. Not only do they provide a safe environment, but they build relationships with students and school staff.” 

Roger Brossmer, assistant superintendent of secondary education at Downey Unified, agreed, saying the district has “greatly benefited” from the presence of police officers on campus the past 20 years. 

“They work closely with our students and establish relationships, often becoming mentors to many of them,” Brossmer said. “While our relationship with our resource officers go back many years, in light of the latest school tragedies, having these highly-trained and capable police officers on school campuses has provided a great sense of relief not only to our students, but also to our parents and staff.”

As the father of two young children, Pope said the issue of campus safety is extra important to him. 

“I have kids, most of our Downey police officers have kids,” Pope said. “I know we all feel better knowing there’s an officer on campus to help keep the kids safe. It’s peace of mind.”