Later this school year, Ukiah High welcomed a new face to campus—School Resource Officer (SRO) Michael Jensen, a member of the Ukiah Police Department. UHS News sat down with Officer Jensen to learn more about him and what he does here at school.
Officer Jensen has worked in law enforcement for several years. He started in Del Norte County as a K-9 handler, then worked as a resident deputy and field training officer (FTO) with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office in Point Arena. Now, he’s with Ukiah PD and serves as both an FTO and an SRO for Ukiah Unified School District.
So what does a school resource officer actually do? “My job is to keep the campus safe and investigate any sort of crime that could occur,” Officer Jensen told us. But it’s not just about law enforcement. He also helps connect students, families, and teachers with helpful resources and even mentors students who are interested in careers in law enforcement.
Though he’s based at Ukiah High, Officer Jensen supports all schools in the district. He said, “A lot of my duties are to investigate crimes, offer resources like counseling, and just be someone students can talk to.”
He also shared some of the laws that guide how he works on campus. For example, before searching a student’s belongings, he needs to have “reasonable suspicion,” which is a lower standard than “probable cause” used outside of school. This rule applies to school staff too.
In short, Officer Jensen is here to keep students safe, offer support, and be someone students can turn to—whether they need help, have questions, or are thinking about a future in law enforcement.
Zach Stewart
Zach Stewart is a sophomore at Ukiah High, Zach has lived in Ukiah his entire life. Zach is a fire cadet for UVFA, Zach signed up for journalism because he enjoys learning about fires across California and wanted to start writing about them. Zach likes fishing and trap shooting, Zach wants to be a firefighter for Cal Fire once he graduates.