Before the first bell rings at Monument Academy, Dakota Degenhart is unlocking side doors and waving through the car line. A little later, he’s helping kindergartners with milk cartons, talking safety with fifth graders and high-fiving students in the hall.

During a recent interview, that warmth was impossible to miss. Kids stopped to wave or shout “Hi Dakota!” Some ran in for a hug. Others waited patiently for a high-five before heading back to class. Through it all, Degenhart smiled and greeted each one by name—proof that the connection he describes isn’t just talk.

“My job is three-pronged,” he said. “Public safety educator, informal counselor, and a police officer who protects the school.”

Now in his second year at the school and nearing five years in law enforcement, Degenhart didn’t originally see himself in uniform. A former UCCS baseball player, he pivoted after a family friend with the Englewood Police invited him on a ride-along.

“After that night, I was hooked,” he said. “It was super fun. The calls we went on, everything about it. I thought, ‘Okay, I can do this.’”

He still misses being on patrol because catching bad guys is definitely fun, but finds greater meaning in the small, daily connections.

“The relationships I’ve built with these kids have grown so much,” he said. “When they’re adults, I hope they can look back and be like ‘Oh, I remember Officer Dakota in elementary school, he was really nice and awesome to us.’”

Those relationships extend beyond campus. At community events such as the recent Safe Trick-or-Treat in downtown, “every 10 seconds I had kids come up to me and give me hugs,” he said. “That’s just as rewarding as catching anyone on patrol.”

Off duty, Degenhart is quick to remind people that officers are people first.

“If you were to see me outside of school, I’m a big video-game player,” he said. “I have a gaming PC, I love playing video games. Right now, I’m into Arc Raiders. It’s so much fun.”

Gaming, he said, helps him unwind after long days and stay connected with friends from all over Colorado.

“It’s a way to relax and connect,” he added. “Everyone needs something that turns the brain off for a bit.”

When he’s not online, he’s outside—hunting, fishing, or spending time with his family and girlfriend.

“Mainly I like to just relax and have my downtime,” he said.

School resource officers typically rotate after four years, but Degenhart hopes to stay involved with students as long as possible.

“I love my job here,” he said. “I want to be a cop, and I want to be in the schools.”

He also hopes the community remembers that most officers share that same heart for service.

“When something nationally happens where an officer makes a bad choice, it doesn’t mean all cops are like that,” he said. “The vast majority try to do their best every day to keep everybody safe.”