After the departure of Student Resource Officer (SRO) Officer Salmons, the high school was in need of a fresh face to patrol the halls. Steve Hamersky, deputy at the Newton Police Department, offered his help and became part of the administration team at Newton High School. 

Hamersky attended Bishop Carroll High School, graduating in 2011. He then attended Newman University in Wichita where he majored in communications. While attending Newman he played soccer for their soccer team.   

“I chose Newman because it was a high level of competition since it is part of the NCAA and I knew that would help me get exposure necessary to get to the professional level,” Hamersky said.  “Also, the scholarship was too good to say no to.”

After graduation Hamersky went to play professional indoor soccer around the Midwest and semi-professional outdoor soccer on the East Coast. Hamersky’s dream career when he was younger was to become a professional soccer player, so it is safe to say that his dreams worked out. Along with playing soccer Hamersky enjoys coaching soccer.

“[My] hobbies and interests are soccer and coaching/training, I have a few goalkeepers around the Wichita area that I personally train,” Hamersky said.

Hamersky got interested in law enforcement through one of his good friends, John Ferreira, who Hamersky said always had the coolest stories about his law enforcement career.

“John inspired me to pursue [law enforcement] because like him, I wanted to be there to help people when they need it,” Hamersky said. “Being a cop is more than just arresting people. It’s part of the job but I feel like the service aspect of the job, which Newton PD is great about, goes unnoticed by the general public.” 

In July of 2017 Hamersky was hired to work on the Newton PD force, first just patrolling and waiting to respond to a situation. One of his favorite parts of law enforcement is the public outreach, so he immediately applied for the Student Resource Officer (SRO) position. 

“The SRO job described my favorite aspect of Law Enforcement which is community relations. So, I put in my letter of interest to my Lieutenant and now here I am,” Hamersky said. 

Hamersky’s favorite part of working at the high school is the interaction with students, and he hopes that his mask does not cover up the friendly demeanor he possesses. He says that the staff and students here are friendly and the work environment is supportive.

“The work environment at the high school is very supportive,” Hamersky said, “It was all a new experience for me and I had lots of questions which were met with helpful answers.”