COPS: HB special

Harrison Newman, Contributor

You may see him walking the halls, working in his office, and sometimes guest teaching in a class. But no matter where he is, Officer Bergeron is here to keep our school and the town of Hollis a safe place. To protect and serve the students, staff, and citizens of Hollis is what Officer B does the best. “The entire reason I became a police officer to protect and help others. There is nothing else that I would want to do.”

    As a decorated Police Officer of the Hollis Police Department (HPD) Officer B began his career with the Somersworth, NH Police Department, and before that, he attended Western New England College obtaining his master’s degree in criminal justice. Then he went to the police academy where he learned the skills that it takes to be an officer of the law.

    “The academy is a para-military style training facility where we would live there from Monday to Friday for three months. Everything is structured, even our rooms. We needed to mirror our roommates, if there was an apple on his desk there needed to be an apple in the same place on my desk. We did a lot of PT, shooting, classroom hours learning the law, driving, ect.,” said Officer B about the academy. Upon graduation from the police academy, he was a Somersworth Police Officer for two years, until moving to the HPD.

    The application process is quite long. “First, you have to take a written and a physical test, then a video with a reading a writing sample. After, you go before of an oral board. Next, you have an interview with the chief and a background investigation and polygraph test. Finally there is a psych evaluation to make sure you are fit to be a police officer. Then you are hired.” He was hired by the HPD in 2001 and has been the School Resource Officer for the past three years.

    Each day he arrives to the station between 6 and 6:30 in the morning and he suits up and attends role-call. At role-call, each officer is assigned his or her daily duties and the car that he or she will be patrolling in for their shift. Then, he arrives at the start of the school day and assumes his duty as the School Resource Officer

    “The School Resource Officer is a sworn officer assigned to a school on a long-term basis trained to perform three major roles: law enforcement, law-related counselor, and law-related educator. In addition, the officer works in collaboration with the school and the community as a resource for safety and security issues.” His job is to keep the schools safe and act as the liaison between the school and the police department. He is in charge of all schools; the high school, the primary school, the middle school, and the elementary school in Hollis, but he spends most of his time at the high school, since there aren’t very many 4th grade criminals.

For all the bad boys, what are you going to do when badge number 306 come for you? And to all those up to no good in the halls, Officer Bergeron will be there. Always ready to respond and always prepared for any situation to protect and serve. Officer Bergeron follows the sayings of Jedi Master Yoda, “Try not. Do, or do not, There is no try.”