The Port Washington Police Department has maintained a Police/School Resource officer in the schools since the inception of the program in 1996. The program was originally funded through a combination of a federal grant, various funding made available through the school district and the police department budget.

Today the program is made possible and funded entirely through the cooperative efforts of the Port Washington Police Department and the Port Washington/Saukville School District.

Officer Kirstin Moertl, our current School Resource Officer is available as a resource for the entire community; she can be reached at the Port Washington Police Department at (262) 284-2611, through the Port Washington High School at (262) 268-5500, or e-mail her at kmoertl@pwpd.org


Why Is An Officer In Your School?

The Police School Resource Officer is in the schools to answer questions pertaining to law enforcement and to assist with problems or situations that may develop. The School Resource Officer maintains an office at the high school with an open door policy welcoming student, staff and administrative contacts.

We strongly believe the School Resource Officer program must include students, parents, teachers and police - in a united effort to assist students who might get into difficulties. Communication and getting to know one another is the greatest way in the world to prevent problems before they develop.

The Resource Officer Program in Port Washington has one goal: to prevent delinquency by providing youth with the resources and services they need to stay out of trouble.

With the growing trend of violence and crime in which youth are both victims and perpetrators, it is imperative to have police resources readily available.


Program Objectives

1. Develop a close police-student relationship wherein the resource officer is visualized as a friend, counselor, resource-person, educational aide, in addition to being a law enforcement officer.

2. To be available to school staff, the student, his/her family and the community as a resource person to answer questions about the law and law enforcement.

3. To work with the schools and students in a cooperative effort to reduce vandalism, theft and the number of school related incidents that require law enforcement involvement.

4. To be available for parent-student-resource officer conferences when they deal with police matters.

5. To be available to the community for presentations and discussions on the police resource officer program.

6. To be available for group or classroom presentations, to acquaint students with the law, the ways in which the law operates on the state and local level and how it impacts their lives.

7. To help all officers of the Port Washington Police Department become more aware of the problems of our young people.

8. To cooperate with the many city and county agencies serving youth in the City of Port Washington. The Police Resource Officer acts as a referral agent, being intimately acquainted with the kinds of assistance available on a local level to individuals and their families.

Former School Resource Officer Tom Kajtna, known
by students as Officer T.K., and some of his friends