As of the 2025-26 school year, Stoughton High School has a new school resource officer (SRO), Officer Jay Oren (he/him). The school intends to involve him in school educational activities and hopes that his presence will make SHS a safer place. As he is a new addition to our staff, it is important that we introduce him properly and help the student body get to know him.
Officer Jay Oren enjoys many tabletop games, including D&D, Pathfinder and Magic: The Gathering. Additionally, his favorite book is Rascal, by Sterling North. The book is set in Edgerton, Wisconsin, and follows the main character through many recognizable places. Officer Jay Oren reports that he enjoyed seeing places he was familiar with in the book and found it comforting. During the conversation, he also said that he enjoyed his school experience. Officer Jay Oren loved math and social studies, and hopes that being a part of our school will help other similar and differing students.
Q: How long have you been in the police force?
A: I got into law enforcement in 2020, so I just hit five years on Sept. 3. I started as a deputy in the jail in Greene County, then I moved to the road. Shortly after being on the road in Greene County, I came to Stoughton.
Q: Why did you choose to join law enforcement?
A: I did not want to be a police officer when I was growing up. I started college for industrial and electric engineering. But that was in 2015, which was about when Black Lives Matter movement began. We had a number of really controversial law enforcement-related deaths-Tony Robinson in Madison, Eric Garner in Baltimore-and Ferguson was burning.
I was watching protests outside my dorm in Milwaukee, where I was attending school, and I thought, we should have good people who want to problem-solve in law enforcement. I like to think I’m a good person-we all like to think that, on some level.
Q: What kind of changes do you want to make?
A: It’s a hard thing because you can’t teach it. It’s the ability to talk to people. Police officers often kind of get stuck on a usual script. They go to a call, ask the same questions, and move on. I’m thinking of changing training programs to incorporate how you have a conversation with somebody. As a police officer, that makes you a little more open and personable.
I also want other officers to look through some different lenses, and that not everything is solved by an arrest. Some situations require social work, too.
Q: Why did you take on this job at our school?
A: In this role, I get the opportunity to build a relationship. That’s exactly what this job is about. It’s being present with students, from kindergarten through senior year and getting to forge some of those really cool, hopefully lasting, relationships
Q: How are you enjoying being at our school?
A: Not just this school, but the high school, River Bluff, all of our elementary schools-I love it. It’s very enlightening to see how much the school environment has changed since I was a kid.
I like to see that it’s becoming more accessible to more people. Plus, it’s a really fun reminder that I’m learning. I get to learn the slang.
Q: Is there anything you’re looking forward to about being at SHS or in the district?
A: I played football in high school, so I love working the games and seeing everybody come out and support your team. I was also talking to someone the other day who’s playing in the band for the musical this year, which I hope I get to see.
Seeing kids get more comfortable, and watching them make friends is always exciting for me.
Having new faces, especially new police faces, in our school can be intimidating. Officer Jay Oren acknowledges this, saying that the vest isn’t meant to be scary, but instead holds the tools of his trade. His “school supplies.” However, we hope to create connections and help with the transition period. Officer Jay Oren will be here every day in the mornings and is here to help. He is always available if you need someone to talk to.
