Officer more counselor than enforcer
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers STARTING YOUNG- Ventura County Sheriff's Dep. Ed Beauvais met with students from Dos Caminos Elementary School recently as part of the police department's goal of preventing delinquent behavior and establishing a good rapport with young students. The students, from left, are Luis Lozano, Samantha Harley, Joselle Lucas, and Cassandra Solano.

At 6-feet-2 and 250 pounds, Ventura County Sheriff's Dep. Ed Beauvais can be an intimidating sight to adult criminals. But as one of three police officers assigned to Camarillo schools, Beauvais is called upon to be more of a counselor than a law enforcer.

"I love that every day I get to smile and have fun," said the 11year police veteran, who traded in gangs in El Rio for a job that sometimes has him reading to kindergartners. "My job is to get the kids before they get involved with serious problems."

While the two other school resource officers are headquartered on the high school campuses, Beauvais must split up his time among 14 elementary and middle school campuses. He visits them regularly to keep abreast of what's happening.

The constant presence of an officer on campuses is meant to give students a favorable impression of law enforcement, to view police as counselors, confidants and role models, said Beauvais, who was assigned the position in August.

"They learn that the police officer can be their friend, be a nice guy," said youth officer Julie Novak, who supervises Beauvais and the two other officers.

RaeAnn Michael, principal of Dos Caminos Elementary School, said Beauvais' stature doesn't intimidate the children because he's built a good rapport with them. He frequently talks with the students and tries to get to know them, she said.

T h e students "admire him; they look up to him; they respect him," Michael said. "And they feel comf o r t a b l e around him, and that's huge in developing positive relationships."

Beauvais teaches the police department's Stranger Danger program at elementary schools to train children about what to do when approached by someone they don't know.

He keeps communication lines open with school administrators as well. Beauvais informs them of possible trends he sees on school campuses and what preventive steps they can take, and the administrators tell him their observations.

Michael said they may never be able to measure all the good that comes from having an officer like Beauvais on campus. "I think we're very fortunate to have him," she said.

Although crime occurs on Camarillo elementary and middle school campuses, it's generally limited to stealing iPods and such, Beauvais said. Occasionally students get into fights, bring a knife or marijuana to school- offenses that could result in expulsion- and Beauvais is called upon to investigate or make an arrest.

"It varies from day to day of what you're going to get," he said.

For middle school students, all Beauvais usually has to do is give stern counseling. For example, when a student posts on a website intimidating or obscene information about another student, a practice known as cyber-bullying, Beauvais tracks down the author and speaks with them and their parents. He tells them the legal definition of slander and advises them they can be sued for it.

While some people dismiss such behavior as a teenage rite of passage, Beauvais takes it seriously and wants to convey that opinion to the student and parent.

"If we can show there are consequences for small stuff, they're less likely to try the big stuff," he said.

Another benefit of having police officers as school fixtures is that vandalism such as graffiti or tagging can be investigated quickly. As a result, Camarillo police have identified 50 to 70 tagging crews, Beauvais said.

Novak said that although the schools haven't seen any real increase in serious crime, prescription drug abuse is up among middle school students, as is underage drinking at the high school level. She also said tagging incidents have increased in the last year and the department recently added a gang graffiti investigator to focus on the problem.

Tagging crews are not necessarily gang members, although the behavior could be a gateway crime into gang life, Beauvais said. Gangs engage in violent crimes involving drugs, weapons or thefts, and they unite along racial and geographical lines. But those involved in tagging cross racial and socioeconomic boundaries, he said.

To encourage Camarillo youth to choose a constructive path in life, the Camarillo Police Department operates a diversion program for those who've committed first-time minor offenses, such as breaking the city's curfew, loitering or possessing a small amount of alcohol. If the youth stays out of trouble for at least six months, the record of the violation is destroyed.

For more information on Camarillo Police Department youth programs, call Novak at (805) 388-5131.