Officer Jonathan Barnes started as school resource officer (SRO) for the Wiscasset school system in September. An employee of Wiscasset Police Department since 2018, Barnes wanted to broaden his ability to help young people and further support the community as SRO. The job was cut for the 2021-22 school year when the funding was voted down but is back this year, being primarily funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The SRO  job is being relied on heavily this year as the school system has struggled to fill two social worker jobs.

Growing up in Windsor until age 12 and then moving to Pittston, Barnes graduated from Grace Baptist Academy at 17. He knew he wanted to go into law enforcement for as long as he can remember. He had three goals growing up. He “always wanted to be a dad,” “always wanted to be in the military” and “always wanted to be a cop.” At 17, he went to the local police department to ask about becoming an officer. He was told he was too young and to come back in a few years. He was recruited into the Army National Guard and left for bootcamp two days after he turned 18. He was deployed to Iraq in 2006.

Barnes worked as a corrections officer for Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office from 2008 to 2013 after leaving the Army. He received crisis intervention training (CIT) through National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). This was a two-week class where he was trained as an officer to recognize and deal with people with mental health issues. He had also started a family and felt he needed to increase his earnings so he left the job to work for the Huhtamaki paper mill in Waterville.  

He got his emergency medical technician (EMT) license through Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield. The EMT training and lifesaving training in the Army have both been “paramount in the patrol world.” After five years, he decided he “belonged in uniform and needed to be back in uniform.” Barnes attended the 18-week residential program at the police academy in Vassalboro, and Wiscasset Police Department hired him in 2018 where he finished his training with the required fieldwork.

Barnes also completed a specialized, in-service training program for school resource officers through Maine’s Criminal Justice Academy before becoming Wiscasset’s SRO. Retired health professionals and school resource officers are involved in teaching the class. He quoted one of his instructors as saying, “There are no bad kids, there’s kids in crisis.” Barnes said, “I took that to heart. It’s very easy to focus on the behavior and not see the story behind the behavior.”

In his free time, Barnes enjoys spending time with his children, Wyatt, 8, and Amelia, 6, who both attend Temple Academy in Waterville, and Camden, 5, who goes to Wiscasset Elementary School. Barnes coaches soccer and basketball through the YMCA in Waterville. He also enjoys attending community events with his family. He hopes to organize community programs in Wiscasset. He said there is a need for students to have things to do after school and on weekends. “The SRO needs to be a community-driven position to be successful, not just a school position.”

Barnes feels the word “resource” is the most important one in his title. He feels he is a resource to staff and students in the Wiscasset schools. He works with students every day, often going into classrooms to teach about safety, making good choices and substance abuse. He has students seek him out just for someone to talk to. “It’s all about relationships. In order to be a successful SRO, there needs to be trust in relationships with both students and staff.”