Central Crossing High School resource officer Pat Shaw and Grove City High School resource officer Marcus Petty show up for more than just the time between the arrival and dismissal bells.
Each day, you’ll find the officers going above and beyond attending school sporting events, clubs, and fundraisers as they support the community’s students and families in any way they can.
Photo courtesy of South-Western City Schools District
Petty in Classroom
“My goal is to go to at least one club meeting for a club,” Petty says. “A lot of times I end up going in my street clothes and not as a police officer. When they see me coming to a wrestling match, it’s just another layer of investment that they see. It is a full-time job. It’s something that both of us take seriously and we’re willing to invest our own time.”
Working with kids as opposed to adults is different, Shaw says. While both officers have patrolling experience, they find working with kids to be more rewarding and may yield better results.
“Here you have the opportunity to make a difference with these kids and hopefully change their behavior going forward before they become adults,” Shaw says. “It usually only takes one time, if you spend the extra 10 minutes with a kid and make a difference. They will remember that forever.”
No day is the same for the officers and they never know what they may encounter. Some problems they deal with most often are fighting and disputes between peers, the use of tobacco and vaping, and mental health issues.
But the officers don’t just enforce the rules, Petty and Shaw serve as reliable, familiar faces for staff and students as well as educators assisting with lessons on topics such as government, social studies, safety and more.
The officers believe that showing up and building relationships with students is the best way for them to create trust and understanding between law enforcement and youth. When students feel a sense of care and camaraderie instead of intimidation from the officers, they are more trusting of the officers’ guidance.
“Obviously, our big role is to keep the school safe and to enforce the laws, but that’s only a part of what we do,” Petty says. “85 percent of the time, it’s more about the relationships, the rest of the stuff will come into place.”
The officers’ commitment to building relationships with students is what prompted the district to hire them, says Evan Debo, executive director of communications at South-Western City Schools.
“If you walk through one of our lunch periods, it’s going to be highly unusual if you do not see them,” Debo says. “They’re interacting with kids, building relationships, talking about anything from sports to home life, whatever students will share with these two gentlemen, and then again from the instructional side in the classroom as well.”
Photo by Maisie Fitzmaurice
Pat Shaw
Because the officers make an effort to earn students’ trust, they’ve served not only as police officers but also as positive, strong role models for students who may not have those influences outside of school.
“Building the relationships with the students may be to give them a different perspective on what a police officer is, and then some of these kids that we deal with don’t have a male role model in their home and sometimes we kind of fill that spot. I know I have quite a few students who will seek me out,” Shaw says.
Additionally, the officers sometimes get involved with issues a student faces outside of school, including family dysfunction or safety concerns. Officer Shaw was even able to lend support to a student who had gotten another student pregnant, as Shaw and his wife were once teen parents themselves.
“We help get them the resources they need, not just shove them off on their counselor,” Shaw says. “There’s an investment in that because if you can make their home life better, you're going to make their school life better and that's going to make their life better.”
Their efforts have proven to be impactful as former students have reached out to thank the officers for their roles in helping them succeed.
“We’ve both been doing this long enough now that we’re able to see some of the fruits of the investment,” Petty says. “Adults that have graduated and gone to careers have made a point to show their appreciation for that.”
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
