Corporal Brad Scrio is no stranger to Berkeley County School District’s annual summer training program for school resource officers.
It is a rigorous week that consisted of tactical medical training; active assailant training; listening to presentations on mental health, human trafficking and curbing gang activity; and collaborating with BCSD social workers, administrators and a few outside agencies to get ready for the 2023-2024 school year.
Scrio is one of two deputies assigned to Sedgefield Middle, where he has served three years as an SRO, so he probably had a pretty good idea of what to expect during this year’s training.
However, he probably did not expect to win a special award.
Thursday was the last day of the training program, which took place at Hanahan High. Right before lunch time inside the school’s media center, Tim Knight, Director of Security and Emergency Management for BCSD, informed the SROs that the district has decided to implement a new type of recognition: the BCSD School Resource Officer of the Year.
“I think it’s long overdue for us as a district to start recognizing an SRO of the Year – we’ve never done this before,” Knight said.
An unsuspecting Scrio hung in the back of the room while Knight, without immediately identifying Scrio, went on to read some excerpts from recommendation letters nominating him for the award (see more below).
“It is with our honor that we recognize Bradley Scrio,” Knight said – a sentence that was met with applause and a surprise appearance by the administrators from Sedgefield Middle, who had been hiding in the hallway outside the media center waiting to celebrate Scrio.
Knight awarded Scrio with a special plaque for the recognition.
Scrio was pretty humble about the whole thing, speaking highly of his county and school teams and encouraging his fellow SROs to work to build relationships in their school community.
“We’re all here for the same reason,” Scrio said. “We’re all here because we’re passionate about what the kids are going through and trying to make their lives better. I’m happy to do it, I’m glad you guys are here to do it as well, and I’m happy to be a part of this team.”
BCSD contracts with five different agencies to put SROs inside of schools – Hanahan, Moncks Corner, Goose Creek and Charleston’s police departments, as well as the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office. Prior to this week’s summer training program, the Security and Emergency Management team reached out to supervisors in each agency to ask them to nominate an SRO for the recognition.
Lt. Matthew Woodall, unit supervisor over SROs from the sheriff’s office, wrote in his letter that Scrio has worked with the school’s administrators and stakeholders to improve the overall school environment – and this evident when looking at crime data from Sedgefield. In the last two years, reported crimes have fallen “by a staggering 50 percent”, and arrests have fallen by more than 50 percent.
“Corporal Scrio understands that being highly visible helps in reducing the likelihood of crimes from occurring,” Woodall said.
Supervisors then asked the SRO's school principals to write a letter of recommendation for the award as well. Sedgefield Middle Principal Heather Ducker wrote that Scrio has worked hard to build relationships with parents and families by joining her every morning and afternoon in the car rider line to greet families. He has taken an active role in the school’s Leader in Me initiative, and created a school beautification team. He also started a Flag Crew that teaches students how to fold, hang and unfold the American flag; the students love it so much that there is a waiting list to get on this crew.
The school has a Young Men Rise group, which is comprised of students who have great leadership potential but need guidance in making good choices for themselves. Scrio, Ducker said, has been instrumental in selecting students for this group and checking on them. During a recent group meetup, participants were asked who their hero was; they replied: “Deputy Scrio.”
“The relationships that he has built are natural and real,” Ducker said, adding, “He is instrumental in the change that we are working hard every day to achieve: building trust and unity within our community. I hope I have the privilege of working with Corporal Scrio for the remainder of my career.”
