Keeping kids active, safe
Colton High resource officer offers students a friend, PALMichel Nolan, Staff WriterArticle Launched: 10/02/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT
Officer Todd Smith likes to look kids straight in the eye when he talks with them.
"That way, you know if they're listening and have heard what you say," he says. "When you're honest and straightforward, you can feel the connection."
As a school resource officer for the Colton Police Department, Smith says he functions both as a child psychologist and law-enforcement officer.
"Before I got into it, I figured the best thing I could do would be to help kids in a way they'll remember," says Smith, a 41-year-old father of six.
"I've only had this position for five months, and I can't tell you how many kids have already been affected in a positive way."
In his capacity as
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resource officer at Colton High School, he deals with behavioral problems from truancy to fighting.
The department tries to maintain a positive presence with community-minded activities - not just when trouble arises, according to Smith.
"With our PAL (Police Activities League) program, students see a variety of officers involved in a positive way. The program includes more than seven separate activities, including sports such as boxing, football, basketball, tennis
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- even ballroom and tap dancing."
Cops 'N' Jocks is a PAL program in which a police officer at the department is assigned to a sport, working with the coach and student participants.
LASTT (Life at School Today and Tomorrow), another PAL program, is a community-relations program for elementary, middle and high schools.
"LASTT is a preventive program that helps build relationships between students and the community," Smith says.
All offer young people an alternative to boredom and getting into trouble, he says.
As a liaison between the Police Department and the high school, Smith offers this perspective:
Question: What is the hardest part of your job?
Answer: I'd have to say the hardest part of being at the school is helping kids who have messed up to the point where there's no return - as far as truancy and grades. Kids get to a certain point where they want to change, they want to fix it, but it's too late. That's one of the worst things for me ... to look a kid in the face and know he wants to correct it but it's too late. Graduation is usually one of the first events in a kid's life that helps them see that responsibility at some point will catch up to them.
Q: What are the problems you usually encounter on campus?
A: The problems we have are like those faced at any other high school - truancy - kids wanting to go across the street to have doughnuts or hamburgers during class time, or arguments that sometimes lead to pushing and fighting.
Q: What is the procedure when you encounter a problem?
A: With regard to truancy, what I always try to do - especially with ninth-graders since they're going through an adjustment period between middle school and high school - is call them to my office and talk to them and explain to them their truancy is eventually going to lead them into court, and that's something that most of them don't want to have anything to do with. It's a preventive-type measure with regard to truancy - bringing them in and talking to them. A lot of them are helped out by that. They'll say, "You're not going to call my mom, are you?" It helps a lot of them.
Q: Do you think after-school programs and sports are the best ways to prevent crime?
A: A lot of people have different ideas, but I would definitely say yes. Most of the kids who go home after school, there's no problem, but the ones who hang around the school for hours after school's over are the ones who are victims of being hurt in fights. We have kids who hang out around the campus for hours at different restaurants. Nine times out of 10, the kids who hang around after school with nothing to do at all are the ones who get into trouble. It's because they have nothing to do.
Q: Could you tell us about the PAL program?
A: The PAL activities at the department include boxing, basketball and a variety of other events for the kids. We also have Cops 'N' Jocks, where different officers throughout the department are assigned to each sport at the high school. They get to know the coaches, the players. The officer selects a player of the week and presents him with a T-shirt, a trophy and an award. So far, it seems to have really helped build relationships with the students at the high school and our Police Department - as far as knowing our police officers by name.
We just started a new PAL program, Life at School Today and Tomorrow - the LASTT Program, which makes differences at the school right away. There are a lot of changes we make through PAL, but it means we have to go through grants and it takes a while. Through this program, we can help kids with stuff they are faced with on a daily basis. The first event we have is when the kids at Colton High School announce their Homecoming Court Oct. 13. We're providing the Frienz Band, a professional band, to play live for the kids at lunchtime. A lot of the kids have never seen a live band, and these are professional musicians. The next event is a basketball tournament we're scheduling - hopefully in February - at Cal State San Bernardino. We're going to have some celebrities come out and kids can come meet them.
Without help from the community, our PAL program wouldn't be possible. Funding from companies like Wal-Mart, Mommie Helen's Bakery, San Manuel, Ralph's, Food 4 Less, Moss Ford and Fontana Nissan have made a big difference.
For more information about the PAL program, call Ernie Mireles at (909) 370-5023.
Michel Nolan is a Sun columnist. She may be reached at (909) 386-3859 or via e-mail at michel.nolan@sbsun.com.