At the Watervliet City School District, Officer Tito Negron is learning the lay of the land and spending lots of time meeting new faces.
“I have been on the force for 15 years, and my whole career, I have been on the road, so this is all new to me,” Negron said last week during his first day on the job as the district’s new school resource officer.
A patrolman since he joined Watervliet’s police force, Negron says interacting with children comes naturally to him.
“I am a parent myself, so I can relate to a lot of these kids and the way some of these kids grow up,” he said. “I grew up the same way, in a single-parent home, so I know I can relate to a lot of them.”
While many districts across the country added resource officers after the Parkland, Fla., school shooting in 2018, this is the first time Watervliet has had one in years. New superintendent Dr. Donald Stevens says the timing is right.
“This is the start of my second month, actually, and we have a new police chief in the city of Watervliet, and it was just great timing to bring somebody back on and support the needs of students and create a safe environment for learning,” Stevens said.
Along with being on the grounds to quickly respond if something happens, Stevens says Negron will serve as a positive example to the students.
“It is all about that relationship and identifying a role model, somebody they can look up to and make a connection with in their own community of who they can go to for support,” Stevens said.
Negron will split his time between the junior-senior high school and the elementary school up the street. When he’s not on campus, he’ll continue his work as a patrol officer.
“I’ve got to meet a lot of people. I’ve got to help a lot of people,” Negron said as he made the short drive between the district’s two buildings. “The stuff you see on this job is incredible. Not a lot of people get to experience it and I love it, I love it, every part of it I love.”
As he settles into his new role, Negron says he’s thrilled for the opportunity but doesn’t take the responsibility lightly.
“It is a great profession,” he said. “I know a lot of cops get bad reps, and just like any profession you are going to have some bad apples, but there are a lot of good guys and girls in this job, and it’s very rewarding.”
