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Attitude won big respect for officer Mail Tribune/Drew Fleming School resource officer David Teresi works with Butte Falls High School senior Mark Lunsford in the school�s computer lab. The town�s police chief says Teresi�s work with students is partly responsible for a dramatic drop in local crime. Teresi�s salary is funded mostly by a federal grant. Butte Falls resource job pays off: crime declines By Jill Briskey BUTTE FALLS � David Teresi is arguably the biggest guy walking the halls of Butte Falls High School. Standing 6 feet, 3 inches and weighing 250 pounds, the 32-year-old police officer who walks the school�s halls is hard to miss � especially with size-14 feet. But it took more than sheer size and the authority of his job to win the trust and respect of students. That took attitude, sophomore Isaac Stephenson said of Teresi, the school�s resource officer. Water sales will help pay for crime fighter Butte Falls police Chief Melvin Ray hopes a nonprofit bottled-water business will help keep a local crime fighter on the town�s payroll indefinitely. Last week, the Butte Falls Police Department was awarded a $64,143 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. The COPS grant will pay for 75 percent of school resource officer David Teresi�s salary � but the grant lasts only three years. Teresi works with students at the local high school. Last year, residents received a blessing from the Town Council to create a nonprofit corporation to bottle and sell Ginger Springs water. Ray hopes the bottling plant�s revenue will help pay for Teresi�s position once the grant expires. "We�ve got high hopes," he said. "He�s done a wonderful job with the students. His position is one we don�t want to lose." "You can mess around with him, but you don�t want to piss him off or he�ll kill you," Stephenson joked. "Seriously, he�s a cool guy. He�s fun and easy to get along with." Since April, Teresi has divided his time between regular patrols and serving at the high school. His efforts have helped cut crime in the city, said police Chief Melvin Ray. "Our crime rate has dropped significantly," Ray said. "The kids trust him, they confide in him. It�s a real sounding block." In the last year, overall crime has dropped 25 percent, Ray said. In other areas there has been as much as a 50 percent drop. It�s hard not to attribute much of the drop in crime to Teresi. He�s the only patrol officer in town on a two-man force. A one-year grant from the Earl Family Foundation awarded last year enabled Teresi to work as a school resource officer at the high school. His job was secured for three more years last week when the Butte Falls Police Department was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS). The program�s $64,143 grant will pay 75 percent of Teresi�s salary for three years. Teresi said the department is looking into other grants and programs to fund the rest of Teresi�s pay. A Medford resident who previously worked for the Talent Police Department, Teresi said that when he first took on the job, his first task was to win the students� trust. Dressed in jeans, his gun and handcuffs hidden under a baggy jacket, Teresi makes it a point to get to know each student�s personally. He focuses not just on misbehavior but on grades and attitude. Now, students feel free to drop by Teresi�s office for a gab session, ask to go for a walk to talk about a difficult problem or just chat with him in the halls. Teresi said his number one priority is keeping the kids safe. That also means teaching students the consequences of their actions. "I ask them to stop and for 10 seconds just think how this will affect the rest of their lives," Teresi said. The most common crimes Teresi dealt with last year included minors possessing tobacco or alcohol, vandalism, theft and truancy. "In a town this size, there�s nothing for the kids to do," Teresi said. "Some of them, out of pure boredom, chose to do the wrong thing." The only major crime Teresi has dealt with at the school involved two separate cases of violence on the same day � no weapons were involved. He�s also redirected possible abuse cases to other agencies. Whether it�s minding a classroom or joining in a game of Butte Falls Map Ball � a unique indoor kickball game � Teresi said there�s nothing he would rather do than keep working with students. "A lot of people just go to their jobs," he said. "How many people are lucky enough to say they really love what they do ... I look forward to going to work �every day." Butte Falls students are glad Teresi is sticking around. "Personally, he�s my friend. He�s a nice guy. He helps us out and gives us rides if we need them," sophomore Jed Rowder said. "He�s young. He can relate to us." Freshman Matt Curtis agreed. "He doesn�t tell you what to do; he makes you want to do it," Curtis said. "He�s a big guy and he cares." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.