Behind the Badge
It’s all about the kids — and about encouraging them to consider careers in law enforcement and shy away from potential pitfalls. That’s how it worked for Santa Ana Police Department Corporal Anthony Pacheco when he was a child.
As a youth in the Bay Area growing up around the less savory neighborhoods of Hayward, Pacheco’s life changed direction when he joined the Police Explorers in Hayward.
“They opened possibilities for me,” Pacheco said. Ever since then, Pacheco has tried to encourage kids in the way he was encouraged.
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD greets employees at a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
Toward that end, he became a running coach in Santa Ana’s Police Athletic and Activities League (PAAL) shortly after joining the agency as a lateral transfer.
Now a School Resource Officer (SRO) in the Garden Grove Unified School District, Pacheco serves as a role model for careers in law enforcement and encourages kids to turn away from crime and gangs.
“We’re breaking down barriers, especially in neighborhoods that are heavily gang-infested,” Pacheco said.
Pacheco became the first SRO for Fitz Intermediate Language Academy and five Garden Grove elementary schools under an agreement reached in 2023 between the school district and Santa Ana Police Department. Although part of the Garden Grove Unified School District, Fitz Intermediate is located in Santa Ana. That allowed for the partnership in which Garden Grove Unified paid Santa Ana Police Department for Pacheco’s posting.
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD greets students at Fitz Intermediate, a Garden Grove Unified School District school in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
Garden Grove Unified has five SROs spread throughout the district and agreements with the Westminster and Fountain Valley police departments as well, as part of its Campus Safety Initiative.
For Pacheco, who began the assignment in June, the job is less about laying down the law than laying down potential paths for improvement.
“I have three hats,” he said, “mentor, enforcer, and teacher.”
The first and third in his list most inspire him.
“My vision is to get them to join PAAL and become Explorers, and that can lead to the path to law enforcement,” he said.
Fitz Intermediate Principal Louie Gomez believes the biggest value is in mentorship.
“Having that person you can talk to and learn from,” Gomez said.
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD greets students at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
Since entering law enforcement, Pacheco has been all about making a better way for youth. Before requesting the posting to schools, Pacheco was a detective investigating child abuse. He wrote his Master’s Degree thesis on juvenile delinquency.
As Pacheco makes his way to the outdoor lunch area on a recent school day, he daps fists with students and engages in conversation.
“I missed you. How was Costa Rica?” he asks one student.
“Good. You got Slurpees?” the student asks, referring to gift certificates Pacheco occasionally carries.
“No, just stickers,” Pacheco said, fishing out one of at least 100 silver stick-on police badges he will pass out in the course of a day.
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD greets students at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
Part of campus life
Pacheco is still getting to know the layout and routines of the campus, where the different cliques gather, and potential hotspots.
While teaching and mentoring are the fun parts of the job, Pacheco is a police officer tasked with maintaining order, investigating crimes, breaking up fights, and, should the nightmare scenario arise, dealing with weapons on campus.
Although there have been reports of weapons on campus, so far all have been false. Still, Pacheco must remain alert and vigilant. His most important job on campus, he said, is “to make it a safe environment.”
Since his arrival, Pacheco said there have been a few rare cases of vandalism, assault on campus, and gang activity. Pacheco also helps enforce truancy violations, accompanying school staff in visiting homes of students with attendance problems.
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD plays basketball with a student at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
“At this age they can be held responsible (rather than just parents),” Pacheco said of students who are chronically absent.
On campus, Pacheco is often beset by students, many requesting the ubiquitous silver stick-on badges he carries in his chest pocket.
Pacheco said he was surprised the badges remain popular even among middle-schoolers, many of whom are at a developmental stage between admiration and acceptance of adults and authority figures, and developing an attitude of indifference toward elders.
“It’s heartwarming,” Pacheco said of those who flock his way with smiles.
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD visits with students having lunch at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
In some schools, because the SRO is not part of the faculty or staff, students will confide in the officer in ways they won’t with others.
When not patrolling campus, Pacheco is involved in numerous community events, such as book readings, career days, and school assembly visits. He recently took part in a March Mile Madness event, part of a school fitness effort. Pacheco agreed to run a mile with students. Easy money for the running coach, right? Normally, yes, but Pacheco had to do it in full gear.
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD visits with students during lunchtime at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
The debate
In a time when many school districts are debating the use of SROs on campus, Garden Grove has doubled down.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics data, the percentage of campuses with sworn, armed security grew by 8.5 percent between 2015-16 and 2019-20, but has lost most of that in the wake of the pandemic and a scathing federal Department of Justice report on the failings surrounding the Uvalde massacre.
According to the California School Boards Association (CSBA), citing a study of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, “Having an SRO present in schools reduces fights and threats by about 30 percent and increases detection of firearms by about 150 percent. On the other hand, schools with SROs saw between a 35 and 80 percent increase in out-of-school suspensions, and a 25 to 90 percent increase in expulsions. Referrals to police and school-based arrests were up between 10 and 50 percent compared to campuses without SROs.”
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD chats with students at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
Perhaps surprisingly, a number of studies such as one in the July 2023 Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, suggest that although armed personnel on campus may reduce violence, they do not lower the possibility of shootings on campus.
In California, districts in Oakland, West Contra Costa, and Pajaro Valley Unified, near Watsonville, discontinued SROs, while L.A. Unified reduced budget allotments.
According to the CSBA, 41 percent of high schools, 38 percent of middle schools, and 17 percent of elementary schools use SROs.
However, there is pushback against the “no cops on campus” trend. Last July, Orange County staged its 14th annual Safe School Conference, encouraging even stronger alliances with law enforcement. To underscore the link, Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy and SRO Tyler Gish was one of the conference’s two Distinguished Safe Schools Award recipients.
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of Santa Ana Police Department at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
Positive so far
At Fitz, the results have been hailed as a success. Gomez, for one, is thrilled to have Pacheco on campus and available.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “It’s been great to have him. (An SRO) builds positive relationships, and is vital and crucial, particularly in this neighborhood.”
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD hands out stickers to students at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
Since the contacts many youths and families have with law enforcement are often negative, Pacheco and Gomez say it is important to be able to engage in positive contexts.
“He’s been good. The kids here really connect with him,” Gomez said of Pacheco.
Even something as simple as directing traffic before and after school is important.
“It gives the parents a positive feeling when the kids are released (from school),” Gomez said, “knowing he’s there where he’s needed.”
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD hands out stickers to students at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana. Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
School Resource Officer Cpl. Pacheco of Santa Ana Police Department at Fitz Intermediate School in Santa Ana.
Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana. Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD greets students between classes at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana. Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
School Resource Officer Cpl. Anthony Pacheco of SAPD chats with students at Fitz Intermediate Language Academy, a Garden Grove Unified School District campus in Santa Ana. Photo by Michael Goulding/for Behind the Badge
