Bristol students, teachers, and administrators know what a wonderful asset the team of student resource officer (SRO) Keith Medeiros and K9 Brody are to our schools and the entire community — and earlier this summer, Medeiros was rewarded for his excellence and dedication to his job with the highest accolades given to an SRO by their national association.

Every year, the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) holds a summit in a city in one of their nine regions. It’s an opportunity for SROs from across the country to gather, network, and learn the latest tools of their trade. It is also an opportunity for the Association to honor excellence.

For 2023, unbeknownst to Medeiros, Sgt. Brian Morse nominated him for the biggest honor in the field: the Floyd Ledbetter National School Resource Officer of the Year Award, which is given to one selected SRO from each region.

The experience of receiving the award was much more than Medeiros expected — for one, he found himself on stage before a crowd that numbered over 3,000. Former Indiana Governor and Vice President Mike Pence opened up the event via a large-screen video feed.

“It was just incredible,” said Medeiros. “This was an unbelievable honor for me.”

Finding his calling
Medeiros succeeded Morse, his nominator, in December, 2012 when Morse was promoted to Sergeant — so Morse knows well what it takes to be an effective SRO. Initially, Medeiros was unsure about the move.

“I thought I wanted to stay on patrol, but I realized once I took the job that I was meant to be an SRO,” he said. The father of two daughters, an 18-year-old 2023 MHHS graduate and an infant who tuns one this week, Medeiros also grew up in Bristol schools and was a graduate of MHHS in its first year of regionalization. He acknowledges his ties to the district are deep and sustaining, and will be for many years to come. “You could say I’m in it for the long haul,” he laughed.

The SRO position involves interacting with students and staff while keeping your eyes open for any issues that could impact the safety of the school community, as well as serving as a liaison between the school and the police department, and as a resource for the administration. Medeiros brought his A game to the job, solo, for about eight years — then he brought his partner on board.

Welcome, Brody!
“I always wanted to be a K9 officer, but I loved being an SRO, and I knew a typical K9, a narcotics dog, would have put me back on patrol,” Medeiros said. “When Chief Lynch came on he expressed interest in getting a K9, and I started doing some research, and came across the police therapy and comfort dog program.”

He made some contacts, and heard about Boonefield Labradors, a breeder with an excellent reputation for breeding comfort and therapy dogs. “They even donated dogs to police departments, so I put together a proposal. The Chief thought it was a win-win and [former BWRSD superintendent] Jonathan Bryce liked it too.”

In April of 2020 K-9 Brody, a purebred Chocolate English Labrador Retriever, was officially sworn in as a member of the Bristol Police Department in a ceremony held in Chief Lynch’s office. He slept through the entire ceremony and the Facebook Live video of the event went viral.

Brody is prominently featured in Morse’s nomination letter to the NASRO.

“As a supervisor at the Bristol Police Department, I have had the privilege of working closely with SRO Medeiros and have seen his exceptional work firsthand,” More wrote. “His dedication to building strong relationships with students and staff has resulted in a culture of trust and open communication, which is critical in maintaining a safe learning environment.

“One of the unique aspects of SRO Keith Medeiros' work is the therapy dog program he initiated in March 2020. This program, which involved placing a therapy dog in the school environment, was a novel idea in the state of Rhode Island. SRO Medeiros introduced K9 Brody to the world with a Facebook Live streaming of his swearing-in ceremony, which went viral, garnering over a million views. Since then, SRO Medeiros has assisted multiple departments in the area with starting their therapy dog programs.”

In fact, Brody was the first police therapy and comfort dog to be stationed in school 100 percent of his time. The RI police comfort dog association, which Medeiros co-founded, now has 14 member departments.

In late 2021, the department released a K9 Brody coloring book, which coincided with Medeiros and Brody’s transition to the Town’s three elementary schools, where they split their time. According to Medeiros, Brody maintains his calm, comforting demeanor, regardless of the level of chaos that is naturally part of a busy elementary school environment.

Honored at home
Medeiros’ honor was acknowledged by the Town Council at their August 2 meeting.

“This distinguished accolade serves as a testament to SRO Medeiros, and his unwavering commitment to enhancing the safety and well being of our schools and children,” said Council Chairman Nate Calouro. “Keith, there are so many kids that go to school and feel more comfortable because of Brody, yes, but because of you. It really is you. You've made a huge difference, and it changes the way that kids and adults feel about the police.

“We are so proud of the Bristol Police Department.”