My Why - Officer Michael Essig, School Resource Officer

Michael Essig does not have a New Jersey accent, despite originally hailing from the Garden State, as he and his family moved to Illinois when he was quite young.

“I still have many relatives who have an accent and it’s rather entertaining to have those conversations with them where you get to hear it all the time,” said Essig, who will start as the school resource officer for Cooper Middle School and Kilmer, Longfellow and Poe Elementary Schools as the 2023-24 school year gets underway.

Essig grew up in the Northwest Suburbs, graduating from Fremd High School before continuing his studies in law enforcement and justice administration at Western Illinois University in Macomb. Landing with the Buffalo Grove Police Department in 2018, Essig has made a name for himself by looking over a number of juvenile cases either inside the school or outside of it. 

He also is no stranger to the SRO title, having served in the role for three school years with Kildeer District 96: “I am very passionate about making a change, which is why I started in law enforcement to begin with,” he adds. “I believe every student deserves to feel safe at school and every child deserves to have that great relationship or that positive relationship with law enforcement.”

Essig is looking forward to the beginning of the school year and getting to know the students, staff and Community Consolidated School District 21 community, mentioning that it is “always fun” when the school year begins and he’s hopeful to maintain that excitement as the year progresses.

“This area is just so special when it comes to the community because there is so much support,” Essig said. “It’s not just support for law enforcement, but the support for so many people. We have such a diverse community that has support all around it, and it makes the job fun and enjoyable.”

Outside of the uniform, when he’s not found with his wife and family, Essig is a running fiend, has a green thumb, is an avid reader and is a lover of all baseball (though he’s particularly fond of the North Side team).

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