Date: Fri 07-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: LIBRAR

Quick Words:

police-youth-officer

Full Text:

Two Police Officers Team Up To Address Youth Issues w/ cut

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Two town police officers have received new assignments.

Officer Michael Kehoe, 41, who has served more than 18 years on the police

force, has been named the school resource officer (SRO). Before becoming SRO

recently, Officer Kehoe worked as the youth officer, serving in that post

since 1989.

Officer George Sinko, 32, who has been with the department more than seven

years, has been named youth officer. Officer Kehoe has worked as acting youth

officer since last September. Before that he worked as a patrol officer.

As SRO, Officer Kehoe's work will focus on students from grades 6 through 12

at Newtown Middle School and Newtown High School.

Officer Sinko's work as youth officer will concentrate on students from

kindergarten through grade 5.

A main component of Officer Sinko's work will involve teaching the Drug Abuse

Resistance Education program (DARE) to fifth graders at Hawley School, Sandy

Hook School, Head O'Meadow School and Middle Gate School. Detective Robert

Tvardzik teaches the DARE program at St. Rose School.

A main tenet of DARE is that students should resist peer group pressure to

abuse drugs.

Officer Kehoe will be teaching what is known as a "DARE alternative" program

to grade 7 students. The DARE alternative program reviews much of what is

taught to fifth graders in the basic DARE program, but is keyed to students at

higher maturity levels, Officer Kehoe explained. The alternative program

informs students what will happen to them if they violate laws.

Officer Kehoe said he likes to illustrate the points he makes in the DARE

alternative program with the experiences he has had as a police officer.

Officer Kehoe notes that only a small percentage of the students police deal

with in the schools cause problems.

The youth-oriented officers help identify children who are "at risk," Officer

Kehoe said. Such children who are "at risk" exhibit behaviors that could lead

to criminal activity, he noted.

The policeman said he expects to be teaching a DARE-sanctioned program for

seventh graders within the next six months.

Besides his work as SRO, Officer Kehoe is involved with the school system's

substance abuse task force, the student assistance team, and Newtown Youth

Services.

The youth officer and the school resource officer should be cross-trained so

they can fill in for one another when needed, he said.

"George Sinko and I work together. We are a team. We have to be a team,"

Officer Kehoe said.

The SRO and youth officer are attached to the police department's special

investigations unit, so both men are able to fill in as detectives when

needed.

"It's been going really well," Officer Sinko said of his recent transition

from acting youth officer to permanent youth officer.

The premise of the DARE program is to have students, teachers and parents work

together to prevent youthful substance abuse, Officer Sinko said.

When he teaches the DARE program in uniform, Officer Sinko does not wear a gun

belt or carry handcuffs to avoid distracting students from the lessons being

taught.

Fifth graders are excited about participating in the DARE program, he said,

noting they look forward to the classes.

In March, the department will start a DARE parent training program intended to

help parents deal with the issue of substance abuse among youths, Officer

Sinko said.

Besides teaching the DARE program, Officer Sinko will do investigations in the

four elementary schools, when needed.

Such investigations can involve allegations of child abuse or sexual abuse.

The youth officer works in uniform and plainclothes depending upon the

situation.

"I relate pretty well to the kids," Officer Sinko said. "It's an opportunity

to get involved with more positive things."