Latta school resource officer reflects on tragedy

In nine years as a school resource officer at Latta High School, Crystal Moore has been has been involved in some pretty scary situations with students.

“I’ve actually had several bite marks, cuts from them,” she said. She’s also seen students climb onto the school’s roof.

But she’s never encountered anything like the tragedy that took the life of a Carolina Forest High School student Friday.

That morning, authorities said 16-year-old junior Trevor Varinecz came to the school and asked to speak to Officer Marcus Rhodes. They say he then stabbed Rhodes in the back with two knives, and Rhodes then pulled his gun and fatally shot Varinecz in self defense.

Moore’s initial reaction to the incident was shock.

“Being in (the officer’s) predicament, I couldn’t imagine it,” she said.

But she said that SROs are prepared for situations like the one Rhodes encountered. She says the standard they follow dictates that they used the least force possible to de-escalate a problem.

“I am trained to use less force,” she said. “But if I am threatened for my life, I have the right to use my gun or taser —whatever I have to protect me.”

The possibility of facing potentially deadly situations is the reality of an SRO’s job. It’s a job focused on providing security for all students, but one that also involves much more.

“We’re a big family,” Moore said, referring to the staff and students at Latta High School. “That’s the whole point of a school resource officer, is to have your law enforcement, your friend, your counselor all combined.”

She’s also played the role of job reference during her career. And she said there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a kid who once struggled succeed.

“It’s an awesome feeling to be involved in the children’s lives in their most difficult times, and see them come out on top of it and make something good out of it,” she said.

And the key to bringing the various roles together is trust, she said. It’s something she’s developed with staff, students and parents.

“When I call, she’s here,” Latta High School principal George Liebenrood said, adding that her presence often acts as a deterrent.

“Kids act different when they see her as a presence here, just like they would an administrator standing around,” he said.

“(Moore’s presence) gives you a sense of knowing that you’re OK,” Latta teacher Mary Beth Rogers, who also had three kids attend the school, said.

But even after the trust is developed, Moore said that her work is not done.

“You are never through training,” she said. “It’s a day-to-day, you learn.”

And even though the daily training doesn’t help her predict what kind of situation she might face each day, it does help her feel prepared to deal with anything she might encounter.