MAYO — School resource officer Jacquelyn Knight has been protecting the children in Lafayette County schools for over nine years. 

Knight decided she wanted to go into law enforcement during high school. When a position with the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office became available, she was ready. 

“I love it,” Knight said. “It is the best job in law enforcement.”

She used to serve both schools in Lafayette County but in light of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, one more was added. 

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act requires every school to have an SRO. 

“The advantage of having these new laws, helps us keep track of what we are really supposed to be here for,” Knight said. “Number one is safety, I have to keep the students and staff safe.”

While her focus was always on safety, Knight is more aware of what is required of her. 

She said first and foremost, school resource officers should be a law enforcement officer who serves and protects, but school resource officers should also be a counselor to the students and a teacher. 

“With our jobs it is  even more important to stay physically in shape and be a good shooter,” Knight said. “It is even more important that school resource officers push themselves towards the top in the agency.”

She added that the deputy serving as a school resource officer must be the right person.

“You have to be able to be a deputy and be compassionate towards the children,” Knight said. 

Knight wants the students she protects to feel comfortable coming and talking to her.

“We have the ability to make a big difference,” Knight said.