GHS Welcomes New Student Resource Officer

Student+Resource+Officer%3B+Matthew+Pelletier.

Student Resource Officer; Matthew Pelletier.

Keith Sanders, Staff Writer

Goffstown High School has a new Student Resource Officer (SRO): Matthew Pelletier. He was appointed by the Goffstown Police Department and enthusiastically accepted the position. Officer Pelletier has integrated into the GHS community swiftly and can often be found walking around with the new Dean of Students, Callie Rozumek, during lunch. “Got to get my steps in,” he casually jokes. He enjoys chatting with students during lunch and working with the staff here.

Officer Pelletier’s job at GHS is to “act as a bridge between highschool students and the police.” He deals with potential fights between students, drugs, bullying, students bringing in things they shouldn’t and law enforcement. Officer Pelletier is not involved with every conflict, though. Certain issues can be resolved through the school and administration, while some issues fall under the jurisdiction of law enforcement.

Officer Pelletier has been working with the Goffstown Police Department (GPD) for nearly four years. This is his first specialized position with the GPD. When asked about his new position he said that it was very different from patrols and with a lot of paperwork. Before being a part of the GPD, he had trained at four different academies, worked in Washington D.C. as a Metro Transit Police Officer; the only transit system in the country that requires triple certification, and “always had an inkling towards public safety.” Officer Pelletier’s father was a firefighter and he looked up to the way his father could rush towards a burning building without a second thought.

Throughout the day, Officer Pelletier can typically be found in his office across the hall from the weight room. In his line of work, Officer Pelletier truly believes that making a difference is the greatest reward. He enjoys being a part of the Goffstown community and believes that community policing is important. “It’s a good place to make a difference.”