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This cop makes an extra effort Craven photo Phoenix police officer John Koury eats lunch with a rambunctious Roberto Cooke, 6, right, at Phoenix Elementary School. Spending time with kids is one of many extra-mile efforts Koury makes every day on the job. "We're caretakers," he says simply. Phoenix officer is known for going above and beyond the call of duty By MEG LANDERS PHOENIX - Bob Rollett says he owes a piece of his life to police officer John Koury. Rollett, who suffers from Alzheimer's, forgot to take his medicine recently while his wife was out of town. "I was wandering around at night without a brain in my head," recalls Rollett. Koury contacted Rollett's family, got him back on his medication, and, with the help of other police officers, checked in on him regularly until his wife's return. Normal procedure would have been to deliver Rollett to a hospital, but that would have merely added to his confusion. Rollett says he is grateful for Koury's extra efforts and regular visits. He even made a sandwich for him and sat with him. "I think he's A-No. 1 tops," says Rollett. "I just owe a piece of my life to him and all the people who are in his crew." It's one of many extra-mile efforts that have punctuated Koury's career, says Police Chief Bob Kershaw. "He'll bend over backwards to do what he can," Kershaw says. Whether he's visiting with elementary school kids, capturing an unwelcome gopher snake, delivering accident reports on his own time, helping to connect a family with county health resources, issuing citations or investigating crime scenes, Koury puts extra effort into treating people respectfully, say those who know him. It's all part of being a police officer, Koury says. "We're caretakers," he says. "Every police officer is a caretaker of their jurisdiction. We have to look at the big picture." The 47-year-old worked on a police force in his home state of North Carolina before he held a position with the Los Angeles Police Department from 1987 to 1992. He then moved to the Rogue Valley and worked in Medford for nine months before joining the Phoenix Police Department. In 1994, he was awarded a Medal of Valor by the Oregon Peace Officer's Association for rescuing an elderly couple from their burning home, an act that forced him to seek medical treatment for smoke inhalation. Koury spent this last year on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in East Timor, Indonesia, where he was involved in a homicide investigation of 109 bodies from mass graves. "A lot of officers with that kind of experience really get calloused," says Kershaw. Koury, however, is commended by residents for his friendly assistance, he notes. Last week, Koury made one of his regular visits to the Phoenix Elementary School cafeteria for his lunch break. "I just like the rapport he has with the kids," says Jerilyn Bouron, who monitors the cafeteria lunch. She nods at Koury, who is surrounded by kids taking turns pretending to call in emergencies on his radio. "It's great that he's willing to dedicate his time to doing this," says Bouron, "so that they won't be afraid of the image of a police officer." "It gives them the opportunity to go one-on-one with police stuff, to ask me questions," says Koury, adding, "and show them that I'm just like them. I eat lunch." Meg Landers is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.