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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Daily News is doing a series of features on some of the new and returning School Resource Officers (SRO) to let people get to know them as the new school year kicks off. Our next story features Rosemont Elementary SRO Brandon Long.

Deputy Brandon Long is an experienced sheriff’s deputy but is relatively new to being a school resource officer. Long has been with the sheriff’s office for 11 years but this is only his second year as an SRO.

Long said he started together with fellow SRO Michael Hockett, who now serves as the SRO for Long Cane Elementary.

“Literally, we walked in the door together,” Long said.

Long said wanted to be an SRO because he likes working with children and is a kid at heart.

“I enjoy it. I enjoy working with kids. I’m a big kid at heart,” Long said. “I like Legos. I like cutting up and playing around. So it worked out well. It’s just a good time. I have fun, and I like being able to have fun at work.”

Those Legos are one of the things that helps him connect with the kids at Rosemont.

“One of the things that worked well for me last year was the way that my office was set up, they had to go past my office to go to their chorus and art class. I had Legos up on the shelf behind me and as they would go by, almost every single one of them would turn around and say, ‘Oh, Legos!’ And it would give them a way to come in and talk to me and kind of get to know me a little bit,” Long said.

Long said he’s already seeing some of the kids that remember him from his first year. He’s currently working to introduce himself to the new kids.

“I went in the other day and read to the two pre-K classes that we have. That way I can introduce myself to them, because they’re new to school, so that way all those kids know who I am,” Long said. 

“Whenever they see me walking around, they already know who I am, what I’m there for and I answered some of their questions. Even in pre-K, they’re able to recognize that I’m a police officer. I have certain tools with me, they are very inquisitive. It’s really neat,” Long said.

While Long is working to get to know the kids, both new and returning, he knows that his main role is keeping them safe.

“The number one thing is the safety of the school and keeping the children safe. Other than that, you know, being someone they can look up to,” Long said, describing his role at Rosemont.

“I’ve had several kids come up and tell me I want to be the police when I grow up. So I can talk to them about that and just be a good example for them,” Long said.

Long said one of the things that he likes to do with the fifth graders as they prepare to go into middle school is teaching them to do a proper handshake for when they get in a professional setting.

“They’re not there yet, but they will be soon, and learning those roots really young is going to help them in the future,” he said.

Long said he loves being a resource officer and takes pride in keeping the kids at Rosemont safe.

“I love being out at Rosemont. This community, they’re, they’re very proud of their school. They’re very proud of the fact that they went to Rosemont. People who are 60 years old, come up and say that’s where I went to school,” Long said. “It’s an incredible thing.  I’m originally not from Troup County, so coming in as an outsider and seeing how welcomed I was into it has been absolutely wonderful.”