School Resource Officer Warren Edmondson
Dedicated to His Family and Your Kids
Warren Edmondson is a Tipp City police officer, but he’s also a School Resource Office (SRO). He believes many people think he’s just a police officer in a school. But Edmondson says, “There’s a lot more to it than that.”
Officer Edmondson rotates between LT Ball Intermediate and the Tippecanoe Middle Schools. He says, “I think going into the Middle School is difficult. Students move from the LT Ball Intermediate’s 5th grade to the middle school’s 6th grade, which involves some big changes. You arrive, and many kids are taller; some have facial hair, you’re suddenly changing classes, and the work is harder.”
When Edmondson began, his goal was just to build relationships with the students and faculty. Then he advanced to having conversations with students, to talk to and with them. He wanted the students to be able to see him and talk to him about their problems. Make them feel special and make them feel appreciated. So, he went into classrooms to introduce himself, tell students and teachers about himself and his job, and encouraged them to “let me help you work through a situation.” He’s concerned that there are kids out there who are hungry, have only one parent, are unpopular at school, etc., and he wants to help kids understand that “Everyone has a chance.” His relationship with the students has grown so much that they gave him the nickname OCC (Officer Cool Cop).
Officer Edmondson told them that he and his wife have six kids of their own, so he can identify with a lot of the things that go on. He says his job is somewhat like a parenting role. But he also wants to build relationships with the kids’ parents, particularly from a safety perspective. He has collaborated with school counselors to develop parent engagement nights and discuss student issues. He says, “I just want to be the guy that if something’s not right, the students feel comfortable to come and talk to me.” He developed his own curriculum and taught 160 lessons to students last year about safety, drugs, vaping, situational awareness, and many other topics. This year he says, “I’m here to greet them as they arrive to school, and I stand in the lunchroom and in the hallways between classes.”
Edmonson is also working with the Tipp Schools’ Broadcasting and Theatre departments to create skits and videos on current trends, school safety, and other topics, to create a digital catalog which is updated as trends change. He believes that lots, if not most, problems are due to a lack of education. Now, he hopes, he’s part of the Tipp City School culture.
Officer Warren Edmondson grew up, went to school in Xenia, and then served in the Navy for four years. He worked several jobs after his service, including being a hotel manager and a fireman. After attending the Police Academy for seven months, he joined the police department in West Milton for $15.01 per hour and decided he better ask for some overtime. He went from there to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office. Along with being a full time deputy, he also served as a part-time SRO officer in both West Milton and Bethel before coming to Tipp in 2023.
Edmondson said that during his Miami County Sheriff's Office job and his SRO work, “He really got good at talking to people.” But he also talked about the mental strain that police officers face. From pulling dead people out of car crashes to telling loved ones in the middle of the night about their recently deceased, he said he’s often gone home and been unable to sleep nor eat for several days. “I talk about it,” he says. “Otherwise, I’d constantly churn it up in my head. I’m lucky to have a wife who will listen. I have faith; I pray for those people and their families.”
Officer Edmondson says about joining the Tipp Police Department, “I feel honored to be here, I feel blessed. All the hard work I’ve put in has brought me here. Tipp City’s department is very in tune with what officers need. If it’s something that’s going to better the officers, mentally or physically, they’re all about it.”