Before his arrest on two charges of aggravated statutory rape, school resource officer Sgt. Jeff Edwin Baker was told in an evaluation to "work on building rapport with students."
Several comments in his personnel file from supervisors suggested that Sgt. Baker, 38, become more involved in clubs and classroom presentations. They also mentioned he was "slow in grasping the overall SRO concept."
A graduate of Hixson High School, Sgt. Baker worked patrol at Brown Middle School and traffic supervision at Hixson Elementary School before entering the resource officer program in October 2007, records show.
Most of Sgt. Baker's personnel file includes average reviews, and officials with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office say they had no reason to suspect he might have inappropriate relationships with students.
"He's been in the SRO program for two to three years and, as far as I know, he's done an excellent job," office spokeswoman Janice Atkinson said. "I don't know that the screening process could be any stricter than what it is. I don't know that going through additional hoops is the answer."
School resource officer positions are advertised like any other position in the sheriff's department and any employee can apply, Ms. Atkinson said.
Each candidate is interviewed by a panel of supervisors, and each has his or her personnel file checked for any internal investigations, Ms. Atkinson said. Those hired receive specialized training in topics such as working with students and preparing lesson plans, she said.
"Someone who investigates crimes against children, not every law enforcement officer can do that," she said.
School officials, who have no say in which officer is assigned to which school, believe the school resource officer issue should continue to be handled by the sheriff's department.
"The sheriff and his staff are professionals, and we have confidence in their ability to understand the skills needed to hire a qualified SRO," said Danielle Clark, spokeswoman for Hamilton County Schools. "We collaborate (with the sheriff's department) on the SROs' role, but the selection and their placement is at the discretion of the sheriff."
Steve Robinson, principal of East Ridge Middle School, where one of the incidents involving Sgt. Baker allegedly occurred, said he was "saddened" by the charges. He said he wondered whether the female student met Sgt. Baker when she still was in the middle school, where the resource officer was stationed.
"These are just allegations, and I hope they're not true," he said. "You just can't stand for anything like this to happen to a kid. There was nothing to indicate a problem. He seemed to be a good guy."
Ms. Atkinson said it would be up to Sheriff Jim Hammond whether Sgt. Baker ever could be reinstated as a school resource officer.
THE STORY SO FAR
Sgt. Jeff Edwin Baker has been suspended with pay from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department since December, and on Tuesday was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated statutory rape. Both charges are related to a juvenile female, and East Ridge Middle School Principal Steve Robinson said the girl was a student at East Ridge High. One of the alleged events took place at the middle school and the other at a local apartment complex, police said. Sgt. Baker is scheduled to appear Jan. 19 in Hamilton County General Sessions Court.