College brings on resource officer

Students and faculty have welcomed the presence of a new school resource officer on the Flathead Valley Community College campus, whose arrival came just days before the college closed in response to cyber threats on Sept. 13.

Cory Clarke, an officer with the Kalispell Police Department, was brought to the campus after five years working as a school resource officer at Flathead High School.

The reason, FVCC officials said, was to put an added safety measure on site with the addition of on-campus student housing this year.

The idea to hire a school resource officer was pitched, approved and in place in a matter of about 10 months, said FVCC Command Team Coordinator Michael Skinner. Both FVCC and city officials had to approve Clarke’s placement, and with the go ahead from council, his salary and expenses were calculated into the city and college’s budgets.

Clarke said he comes with extensive police training, knowledge of the college and its students, a patrol car. As a part of his new role, Clarke said he intends to make sure every officer on the force is familiar with the campus and makes a habit of patrolling the grounds on a regular basis.

Following the recent cyber threats, Clarke said he received appreciative feedback from students, parents and faculty for his and his fellow officers’ presence. On the night the campus closed, Clarke met with students to hear their concerns and answer any questions they had. Clarke said he tried to share information and made it a goal to “shoot straight” about the situation.

He and another officers remained on campus for two days after it reopened the following Monday.

Though FVCC has no history of violent or “actionable events” on campus, both Clarke and Skinner agreed that, in light of recent shootings and threats at colleges across the nation, the possibility for similar events to take place here remains in the back of every administrator’s mind.

As a part of his many duties, Clarke has begun training faculty, staff, residential assistants and students the “Run, Lock, Fight” method of dealing with an active shooter on campus. The program teaches the best courses of action should the unthinkable occur, training people to evacuate the premises if possible, hide if not and fight back if discovered.

The training comes as part of the many situations Clarke has been trained in and can address, including alcohol impairment, sexual assault, suicide, school policing, marijuana legalization pros and cons, sexting pitfalls and social media.

Both Clarke and other Kalispell officers plan to start doing frequent security sweeps to address the large transient population frequently seen in the area.

Clarke said his duties at the college aren’t limited to outside threats.

“I’m here to help move things along smoothly and help with whatever, but at the end of the day I’m still a police officer,” Clarke said.

Any time a crime is committed on campus, the situation goes directly to Clarke to be addressed to the full extent of the law.

“Tif there is a crime and a victim, it has to come to me,” he said.

Clarke’s position at the college is unique, according to Skinner. Traditionally, colleges have their own police department, security or nothing at all.

According to FVCC’s director of marketing and communications Diane Skyland, student safety remains the school’s top priority, and when the option for a resource officer came up, FVCC President Jane Karas gave the green light.

An added bonus to having an officer on campus, Skyland said, is having a direct link and convenient ambassador between the college and the police department.

“[Officers] are going to be responsive, but Cory speaks the lingo, he knows the department. He knows what to say, and he knows the college. So he can bring those two worlds together,” Skinner said.