Published March 4, 2026
BY GRIFFIN STEELY
After a year and a half without a school resource officer, a law enforcement officer assigned to a school district, CUSD is once again home to a deputy from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office who will usually be found at Carmel High School twice a week.
Sheriff’s Deputy Mateo Brown is ready to serve as the CUSD school resource officer. Photo by GRIFFIN STEELY
“The most valuable thing is the relationships students can have with the SRO,” says CHS principal Libby Duethman.
A Monterey County local, Brown grew up in the Prunedale area and has worked in the sheriff’s department for nine years.
“I started off working at the county jail for about seven years, then as a patrol officer for two more,” says Brown. “After that, I started in the school resource officer position.”
Officer Brown has a unique role in the school since, as a law enforcement officer, he deals in penal code instead of education code, which school administrators work with.
“When you have a school resource officer, they can explain to parents and kids how legal codes overlap and how their behaviors can be detrimental to their future,” says CMS principal Daniel Morgan, whose school will also be hosting the SRO.
Brown took the position after the previous SRO was reassigned at the end of the 2023-24 school year, leaving CUSD without an officer due to understaffing within the sheriff’s department, says Brown. Now that he is here, Brown is making an impact in protecting the district and its students.
“We had somebody stumble on campus,” says Brown about an incident that occurred early February. “I dealt with it, and there was nothing to worry about.”
This ended up being just a guy who needed a ride to the gas station, but there is always the potential for less benign encounters. Issues with intruders are what an SRO can deal with best. A principal simply doesn’t have the same authority as a law enforcement officer does.
“When we need law enforcement intervention on some level, and we can’t get it, it’s challenging,” says Morgan. “It’s really nice that when we do need it, we have a direct line to it now.”
Deputy Brown hopes to be able to connect with students and provide an image of law enforcement that is a friendly face and a helper.
“I love to cook as well as hang out with my two dogs,” says Brown.
As he was moving up through the sheriff’s department, Brown looked forward to getting a job as an SRO.
Deputy Brown can be found on any of CUSD’s campuses; if students need to contact him, office staff has his info.
