I want to read books to the elementary kids. I want to play at the gym with middle schoolers, eat lunch with them: be a positive influence on their life.”

Officer James Domeier

Across the district, students of all ages are back in classrooms, meeting teachers, new friends and all manner of staff that make District 200 tick.
One new face to both staff and students is Officer James Domeier, the second school resource officer (SRO) for the district. Domeier joins Officer Georgeann Freeman as SROs in the district. While both SROs will be travelling between all schools, Freeman is expected to be based out of the high school with Domeier based in the middle school.
Domeier credits his interest in the public service sector to watching Rescue 911 with William Shatner at a young age.
“Ever since then, I wanted to be either a firefighter, a police officer or EMT,” said Domeier.
After eight years as an army medic, Domeier did just that working as a fire fighter, 911 dispatcher, and police officer before coming to the Hastings Police Department in September 2023.
In that time, while Domeier was getting a degree at Rasmussen College, he began working with role players who help students work through scenarios like mental health or domestic situations all the way down to teaching how to handcuff.
Domeier previously had difficulties in schooling, struggling to find interest in classes and eventually dropping out from Inver Hills or Century College.
“I get nervous around schooling; I’ve had bad experiences.”
Shifting to the other side of the classroom, however, while working with the role players, was something Domeier discovered he really enjoyed, which led him to seeking an SRO role.
“After doing that for three years, I thought it’d be good to get into that gig because I’ve been pretty much teaching at Rasmussen now for three years, the ebb and flow seemed natural,” said Domeier.
The morning of Sept. 2, Domeier joined the fifth graders coming into the middle school for the first time. The day was meant as an introduction for the building newcomers who met with teachers and student ambassadors from older grades.
While the barrage of new faces and names was intimidating, Domeier’s goal is to know the names of every student.
“I want to read books to the elementary kids. I want to play at the gym with middle schoolers, eat lunch with them: be a positive influence on their life,” said Domeier.
Domeier is hopeful that his past bad experiences with school might be instructive for students.
In high school, the video game World of Warcraft “had pretty much taken over my life, so one thing I want to tell these kiddos is everything in moderation,” said Domeier continuing, “I can definitely use that as an example.”
Hastings schools saw an increased police presence for the first days in the wake of the shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis.
Hastings Police Chief Dave Wilske called this move and effort to provide “peace of mind” to residents, saying there is “no indication of any direct threat to any school in our area.”
Domeier highlighted the recent reunification exercise at the district meant to practice how students would get back to their families in the event of a lockdown or students being moved to a location out of the school for any number of reasons.
“They do take school safety very seriously,” said Domeier.
While Domeier will be in schools for the first two weeks of the semester, due to some unexpected staffing changes in the department, after those two weeks, Domeier will be returning to regular police work.
The Hastings Police Department has already moved forward with a background investigation on a new officer so Domeier is expected to return to the SRO position between November and January.