Roaming the halls of Edison many students may notice him. He’s always on the alert just in case anything goes wrong. He has many smiles to offer those who come into contact with him. Who am I talking about? Most students know him as Eddie, one of the school safety officers at Thomas Edison High School.
Eddie was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens. As a child he aspired to become a fireman and an art education teacher. He attended John Adams High School where as a teen he was a good boy. “Out of my four years of High School I never cut school once,” said Eddie. After High School Eddie went to St. John’s University where his major was Criminal Justice and Law. “I was happy when I finished high school and I was happy when I finished college. I have no regrets.”
Before working at Edison, Eddie worked with law enforcement at a city agency for two years. He was then assigned to work at Edison, where he has been working for almost three years. Being a school safety officer gives Eddie satisfaction. He enjoys watching kids come to school to learn. Being a school safety officer is Eddie’s “gift to the kids.” He thinks that Edison’s security is fairly good. Spot checks are done regularly to make sure the kids are not in danger. Crimes that mainly occur at Edison are fights, thievery, and cutting. “Overall, I wish all of these would just come to an end.” Putting the crimes that occur at Edison aside, Eddie ranks Edison with Townshend Harris High School and Bronx High School of Science. “Edison is a very good school. The students that attend help make Edison a very good school,” said Eddie. As a school security officer, Eddie considers himself a person that students can depend on. Eddie stated that he advises students "first as an officer and then as a friend." “If students have a problem they can come to me for help. If I can’t help them, I’ll show them the person that can.” The only thing that Eddie is dissatisfied with is the fact that
the Police Department recognizes school safety officers as “civilians and not special patrol men.” According to him, “that’s the main reason why the Police Department loses so many officers.”
What does Eddie want students to do to make Edison a better school and at the same time better themselves? He thinks that students should “show their program cards when asked to and not hesitate.” Students are asked to show their program cards for their own safety. Eddie also thinks that students should go to class and not cut. This includes days when they have substitutes.
“By not going to class students diminish their education by asking for trouble.”
School safety officers are there to do their jobs and Eddie hopes students finish getting their education and not mess up in school. His message to students,
“Stay in school. Get an education. Have people respect you and not disrespect you."
Besides being a school safety officer, Eddie enjoys training other officers, traveling, reading and “being around good people.” He plans on continuing his job at Edison through 2001. He wants to leave knowing that he made a difference in the lives of the students at Edison. “I have given students respect and I got it back,” said Eddie. He hopes to get a better job and higher pay, at a higher position in law enforcement. When asked how he would describe his life ? Eddie answered, “Very comfortably. Very happy.” Knowing the fact that his family raised him the way he wanted to be raised, makes Eddie a very happy person. “I show my happiness through the lives of my family,” said Eddie. The saddest moment of his life was when he lost his grandparents. “If I didn’t have my grandparents I wouldn’t have had the parents that I had.”
What one word describes Eddie? Well, his answer to this was “positive.”
“I know where I’ve been, I know where I’m at and I know where I’m going,” replied Eddie.
Eddie has a positive outlook on life, which he hopes to bring to other people.
