Bigfork school resource officer connects with kids

Nearly two decades ago, Paula Sullivan graduated from Bigfork High School and today, she’s walking those same halls as the school resource officer. The 11-year deputy with Flathead County Sheriff’s Office took on the assignment in late August, bringing a law enforcement presence on campus for the first time in more than 10 years.

“It’s been talked about for a long time,” Sullivan said, “The other side of that is you gotta be able to pay for it.”

Funding for her position was sourced from the Bigfork School District, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Flathead Electric Cooperative, which contributed enough unclaimed capital credit checks to support 50% of two positions for five years.

Sullivan splits her time on campus between securing the facility, monitoring student activity, meeting with students, and visiting Bigfork Elementary along with schools in Somers, Lakeside and the Swan Valley as her schedule permits.

“I care about kids and I care about the community,” Sullivan said. “To make it safer for them is something that I’m proud to do.”

In addition to her years of law enforcement, including four years as an adult probation and parole officer, she’s also worked extensively with youth. Sullivan, a Bigfork native,has helped lead youth groups and Bible camps, and coached basketball and volleyball at Stillwater Christian. She played hoops in college on scholarship and still referees at the junior high and high school levels to keep herself in the game. Sullivan’s time on the court also helps her connect with the Bigfork High students on a personal level.

“I went to school with some of the parents of these kids and some of the teachers … I know the culture. I actually played basketball in college on a scholarship and some of these young ladies [have asked] questions about that,” Sullivan said. “I think sometimes the perception is cops are just here to arrest and give tickets — our job is to help people. To make those connections early, to develop that trust, will only help them further down the road when they’re making decisions on their own.”

Although Sullivan is just two months into her SRO assignment, she’s identified a host of trends and issues that are impacting local students.

“I think that the vaping trend is a big deal in schools. It’s super concerning to me … it’s been proven to be pretty dangerous. I think that we lack the education sometimes, so that’s a trend we see a lot of,” she said.

Cyberbullying is also on her radar — a type of harassment that occurs online and through apps like Snapchat. As young people spend more and more time in the digital world, they become more removed from face to face interaction, which can have unfortunate consequences.

“The cyberbullying is such a big thing. They can just chat it, but they don’t ever have that, ‘Oh, I hurt their feelings’” moment like you would in person, Sullivan explained.

Even when students do misbehave, she still makes a point of establishing a line of communication with them.

“I’ve built some good connections with kids that I’ve had to do my job with — kids that have been in a little bit of trouble … I like the kids — just because they did something, made a mistake, doesn’t make them bad kids,” Sullivan said.

In an effort to encourage student engagement, she maintains an open door policy, welcoming students who need to talk into her office, and even keeping a whiteboard available for them to draw on.

“I’ve had multiple kids come in and sit down and just talk to me,” she said.

The elementary students bond with her in a different way.

“The little guys, they just love hugs,” Sullivan said with a smile. “They’ll come up and give me a hug — that’s not a normal thing for a cop, but it’s really fun to be around that … They love cops and firemen and first responders.”

When she’s not on campus, Sullivan works for the sheriff’s office in other capacities. She coordinates a mental health crisis intervention team, teaches other deputies how to properly use Tasers. She also provides active shooter training for schools and businesses and reviews domestic violence reports to make sure cases are progressing properly and that victims are getting the services they need. It’s an eye-opening area of the law, she said, but one that she’s passionate about.

“People get into that cycle and some of them can’t get out of it, or don’t think they can … We need to provide whatever we can to help them through a very, very difficult emotional time,” Sullivan explained. “I want to do what I can to make it easier for those involved.”

She wants locals to know that in addition to Bigfork schools, her open-door policy extends to the local population, too.

“I’d just like people to know that I’m here, not just for the school, but for the community as well,” Sullivan said. “People are welcome to reach out to me.”

Editor Mackenzie Reiss can be reached at editor@bigforkeagle.com or (406) 758-4433.