Pubdate: Mon, 12 Jun 2006
Source: Quincy Herald-Whig (IL)
Copyright: 2006 Quincy Herald-Whig
Contact:  http://www.whig.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3360
Author: Rodney Hart, Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

OFFICER ENJOYING THE 'GOOD SIDE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT'

Dave Mason calls his job as a school resource officer  "the good side 
of law enforcement."

Mason, a 10-year Adams County Sheriff's Department  deputy, started 
the new job last fall in the Unity,  Payson and Central school 
systems. Working with  students and staff during the school year was 
a good  experience for the Drug Awareness Resistance Education  officer.

"Just being in the hallways, being a presence," Mason  said of his 
basic job description. "I'm on the good  side of law enforcement. I'm 
sure a lot of kids saw it  at first as a negative, and I'm sure there 
was some  apprehension at first, but after a while I had kids  coming 
up and talking to me."

Regional Superintendent Ray Scheiter helped get state  funding for 
part of Mason's salary.

"He's a very professional fellow and he carries out his 
responsibilities with great dispatch," Scheiter said of  Mason. "He 
is there to assure each student is safe, and  that's what it's all 
about -- to provide the best  possible educational opportunities for 
all children in  a safe environment."

Scheiter said he pushed for the program because he saw  how 
successful the Quincy Police Department has been  with its school 
officers and the Quincy Public Schools  security team. When the 
position was created, Mason  jumped at the chance.

"I've been the DARE officer for four years and I've  always enjoyed 
communicating and talking with kids,"  Mason said. "I had the chance 
with this job to talk and  interact with high school kids."

Mason worked on cases like bullying, assaults and  batteries and even 
a few drug cases with the West  Central Illinois Task Force.

"I had a kid come up to me and tell me about some  possible illegal 
drug activity, and we started  investigating," Mason said.

If an arrest needed to be made, Mason called in another  deputy to 
assist. In the mornings and afternoons, he  parked his car in school 
parking lots and did traffic  enforcement.

Mason also worked with the newly formed Adams County  Sheriff's 
Department Special Response Team to map and  videotape county school 
buildings and prepare for  various rapid response situations.

Scheiter said the area schools are working with the  county to make 
sure Mason's position is funded for the  2006-2007 school year.

"In this day and age, you never know what might  happen," Scheiter 
said. "It's important to have  representatives of law enforcement 
available to  schools."

Scheiter added that school principals and staff were  glad to have 
Mason on the job.

"We are very appreciative of Dave and the job he did,"  Payson 
Seymour Principal John Wallace said. "We've  needed something like 
this for a long time and I think  the kids appreciated him being around."

Adams County Deputy Chief Fred Kientzle said Mason's  job was to be a 
proactive officer and provide education  and support for the school 
system. Mason is working  this summer in the ACSD investigations department.

"We haven't had one complaint about the school resource  officer 
program," Kientzle said. "We couldn't have  asked for a better person 
than Dave to do the job  because he's our DARE officer, and he's 
really good  with the kids."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman