At Oasis Middle School in Cape Coral, among the more than 800 students, the one adult with a gun and badge has somehow managed to fit in.
“It's the most rewarding and the best job I've done,” school resource officer Jamie Bungard told Gulf Coast News. “It's an extended family.”
Over his law enforcement career, Bungard has worked patrol units, SWAT and even helicopters. But it’s at school where he can live out two dreams.
“What was pulling me to be a teacher and then what's pulling me to be an officer, it's just the perfect marriage and this is where I belong,” he said.
Bungard has even taken over the cross-country team at the school.
The way he’s embedded himself in the school community has earned him a big honor as a finalist for the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year in Lee County.
“I love my job so much, that I don't feel like any of its extra. It just feels like what I'm supposed to do,” Bungard said.
As much as Bungard enjoys the job, he knows he has a huge responsibility. There are ever-increasing threats to schools.
He’s found the best way to keep kids safe is by forging relationships.
“I hope to retire never actually having to do what I'm here to do,” Bungard said. “And if I save a couple kids a year from taking the wrong path, or making bad decisions, I'm doing my job."