New SRO joins West Elementary School

West Elementary School’s new School Resource Officer, Sammy Washington, began his new position Sept. 5.

Washington said he is excited about the opportunity. “It’s a win-win situation. I get to come home and do what I love,” he said.

Before accepting this position, Washington was a part-time SRO in Limestone County and Muscle Shoals.

“It’s the best job,” he said in reference to working in the police field.

Washington was born and raised in Russellville. He attended the police academy at Jacksonville State University and became an officer with Russellville PD in 1986. From there he went to Northwest-Shoals Community College, where he was the chief of campus police until 2011.

He retired from there around the same time his twin grandsons were born, which he said helped solidify his decision to become an SRO.

“I love kids. I love that getting to interact with them is part of my job,” Washington said.

In August 2013, he received his SRO certification, and in April 2017 he became a certified DARE instructor.

He explained that while his job is largely about keeping the school and the students safe and secure, it is also about building a rapport with the children and instilling a positive image of the police in their minds.

“If we don’t reach them today, we won’t be able to tomorrow,” Washington said. “We’re not the boogeyman; we’re here for them.”

Washington said that he is happy to be back in Russellville and that he is ready to get involved with the community again.