Crime & Safety

Outstanding in Oakville: Kelly Eller

Eller was inspired by another female to be a police officer and now hopes to pay it forward in Oakville schools.

For the past two years, Kelly Eller has been the school resource officer at Bernard Middle School. Beyond Bernard, her beat also consists of Oakville, Beasley and Blades Elementary Schools. The school resource officer handles car accidents on the parking lot, fights, stolen property, etc., as a police officer normally would. However, Eller also is a resource for the staff. She is asked legal questions and is an informal counselor.

“I bond with the kids in the cafeteria; I reach out to them so they are more willing to come to me,” Eller said.

Eller knew that she wanted to become a police officer when a girlfriend she had grown up with graduated from the police academy.

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“I looked up to her and thought it was a cool thing to do,” Eller said. “I saw the potential of a female doing that job. I don’t like routine—I like to change things up every day and not sit in just one place for a long time. With this, it’s different every day.”

Eller started off her career in St. Louis City and said that it has always been a professional environment. There are approximately 95 women on the force, with a total of about 750 officers altogether, which Eller said is a good percentage for most departments. She has always felt level with the male officers and still works a street beat in the summertime.

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“I think part of being a female officer with this job is that it offers the female perspective. It helps having both a male and female point of view,” she said. “Females by nature handle things differently than men. Sometimes suspects are very opposed to having a female tell them what to do and you have to let them know you are in control. If you handle yourself with courtesy and professionalism you will get results.”

After being in the city for 2 years, Eller gave birth to a daughter and stayed at home for a period of time with her before coming back into police work. She said that being a mom now and having the school resource officer position has benefitted her family and has been a very rewarding and positive experience. And, she gets to be at home more with her child.

“(With the school resource officer position) I follow through from a case from beginning to end since I’m ‘in’ it. If you are on the street you aren’t necessarily investigating,” she said. “Some child abuse cases I’ve been able to see from beginning to end and see the kids flourish.” 

Eller said that some of her worst days are when she oversees abuse situations with children. One of her particular cases that she worked last year involved interviewing the kids and in working with the department of family services, the children were removed from the home.

“I worked the entire case with DFS and the kids actually ended up in a really good place. I’ve watch both of those children in a happier place. That result would be the best day,” she said. “It’s wonderful to be able to do something with those kids. It makes me want to cry on a regular basis and you see some really sad things but you can’t let it sink in and you have to separate yourself from it or it will take its toll.”

With all of the school shootings in the news, Eller also recently completed an 8-hour active shooter and intruder response for schools operator course. She is highly trained in that area, and many schools have changed their protocols on how to enter a situation when having an active school shooter.

“We no longer wait. We go in and stop the threat when it’s active instead of securing the scene,” she said. “You play the scenarios in your head. You have to anticipate the worst so your mind is prepared for it." 

Eller said that the most rewarding part of her job, even though she looks forward to getting out on the streets in the summer, is coming back and bonding with the kids in the school year. 

“I don’t want to sound corny, but the kids really take to me and they see law enforcement as a positive thing, not ‘Oh it’s the cops’ and I hope that I make a difference,” she said. “I patrol the streets in the summer when they are on summer vacation and I come back to school and here you have cookies and smiling.”


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