Stop, in the name of Officer Blaney: She has been named Fairfax County Public Schools’ 2011 Distinguished School Resource Officer for her work at Jackson Middle School. Of her 22 years as a Fairfax police officer, she has spent eight keeping public schools safe places to learn. How did you get involved with the school system?
You actually compete for the school resource officer position: You put in your memorandum and take an oral exam. I was a detective before I became a school resource officer for four years, and I’ve done a number of other things, but I wanted to be around more people than a small group of officers — more contact with the public. I chose the schools and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Now I’m in a building with more than 1,000 kids.
You were recognized because, in addition to patrolling the school, you’re very interactive with the kids. My understanding is you take quizzes with them?
One of the history teachers asked if I would take a test with her students, and if they scored higher than me, then they could eat lunch with me. It’s been a number of years since I was in the seventh grade, so I miss a couple. We eat in a conference room, or another vacant room. I ask how the weekend was, who their favorite teacher is, what’s the gossip.
Kids come to you with security issues — what advice would you give to an adult having trouble getting a teenager to trust and confide in them?
One of the biggest things is, when they tell you something, don’t judge it. Say, “OK, that’s interesting.” Sometimes adults can overreact to a situation and the student will clam up and not say anything more. Just be very open to what they have to say, and be available for them.
