Ivy Jacobson

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'He saved my life': Woman inspired by SRO as a teen becomes one herself Ivy Jacobsen had a horrific childhood. At school, she befriended the school resource officer who would change her life Mar 13, 2022 By Pete O'Cain The Wenatchee World, Wash.

EAST WENATCHEE, Wash. — As a teen, Marysville Middle School was a respite from home for East Wenatchee police officer Ivy Jacobsen — her "seven hours of freedom," as she said in an interview. Home was abusive. Her father sexually abused her and was violent toward her mother and two younger siblings. At school, she befriended a school resource officer named Dave White. She didn't tell White about home. Not at first. Jacobsen disclosed the abuse to authorities a few years later while a sophomore in high school, and White was the arresting officer, she said. This week, life came full circle for Jacobsen: she was announced as the new school resource officer for the Eastmont School District, just like White. "He saved my life," Jacobsen said of her mentor. She added he "essentially inspired me in that I wanted to be a public servant in service to others. In order to be a servant like him I had to become a police officer." Her father was convicted of rape and child molestation in 2013 and sentenced to 16 years in prison, according to KUOW in Seattle. 

The East Wenatchee Police Department announced Jacobsen will be the new school resource officer for the Eastmont School District. Jacobsen said she hopes to be a voice for victims who "helps others in their journey of getting help and seeking their justice" like her former school resource officer in Marysville. That's why she's public about her personal experiences with abuse.