Following the Nov. 3rd departure of Student Resource officer, Lisa Schaps, Tyler Johnson will then be Prospect’s full time Student Resource Officer
Q: What do you hope to bring to Prospect?
A: “I want to bring some mentorship and kind of give it a new look,” Johnson said. “In a sense that I am younger and maybe be a little more relatable in the age sense … I just want to bring in the relatability more than anything and be a pillar of mentorship if someone needed something or just wanted to talk and chat.”
Q: Where did you come from?
A: I previously lived as a resident officer and helped out there. I gave an open ear … for the residents when problems arose. I grew up in southern Illinois with a farming community with cows, pigs, chickens,” Johnson said.
Q: What is your previous experience being an SRO?
A: “I used to work at the Arlington Race track [until they closed it down]. And previous to that, I have two degrees, one in law enforcement and justice administration and the other in kinesiology.”
Q: Why did you want to come to Prospect?
A: “[Prospect] would have been my first choice if I had a choice … This feels so tight-knit of a community and you can definitely tell there is a sense of community here and it’s awesome.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: “I know some students might not believe this but it’s interacting with younger people and I love the mentor [aspect]. Before this, I considered becoming a teacher and I’ve coached. You always look back and think, ‘wow that teacher had a really big impact for me’ and I want to be that for someone.”
Q: What are you looking forward to in this upcoming year?
A: “Honestly, the events. I’m excited to work all these events that you guys have. I know the big ones like Homecoming and Prom but just last week, you guys had a bunch of exchange students and they were all hyped up, and the football games … Your guys’ student body is pretty active.”
Q: What hobbies do you enjoy outside of being an SRO?
A: “My hobbies are hanging out with my friends, I like to hunt, I like to fish, I like to go to the gym, and I love to play video games too with those same friends.”
Q: Why did you become an officer in the first place?
A: “I wanted to become an officer because, growing up, I had a friend whose dad was a conservation officer … so basically he was the hunting police … and I remember, being younger, about how he was investigating this situation where someone shot a bald eagle [which is illegal] … so i thought that was super neat and I soon fell in love with the application for law … I just found that to be interesting and I loved to be active … [being an officer] is really fun and exciting.”
Q: What was it like being at Prospect for the past few weeks?
A: “Oh it was awesome, I could tell how people are still getting used to me and I try to say hello to as many people as possible. Being a police officer, people are as welcoming as they can be right now. I can tell people are still trying to feel me out and who I am as a person and what I’m about. [people] are like ‘Maybe he’s mean?’ With that into consideration everyone has been nice,” Johnson said. “My ultimate goal is to keep everyone safe. But all of the staff members and the faculty have been super welcoming and warm … The football games are fun and people wave and say hello. I’m waiting to break the ice even more so I can … get to that mentor portion of this job. But it has been good.”
“Whether [the student body] know’s it or not, I am super excited to be here. Everyday I wake up excited to come here and excited for the possibly to … make an impact at some point … so that I can be that ‘wow, they really helped me out’ or … ‘I enjoyed being around them’ so I can guide them in the right direction. And I love being here in Mt. Prospect.”
