Student safety is a major concern for any school, and Rockville is no exception. To help the school security team, Police Corporal Rick Halverson works alongside RHS staff to make sure students and staff are safe.
Halverson has been working at RHS for three years and can be seen guiding traffic outside, monitoring sporting events and serving as security inside the building when the school is short on security staff.
Halverson has worked on the police force for 24 years and is currently a liaison between MCPS and the police department. He aids school administrations when there are problems that occur outside the reach of RHS security, and assists with student-teacher mediations when needed.
When officers like Halverson work as liaisons, there are specific trainings they must go through. “I have attended various classes dealing with being a School Resource Officer, some put on by the State of Maryland and some given by National Organization of School Resource Officers [NASRO],” Halverson said.
“[I enjoy] the staff and kids, I enjoy interacting with everyone and answering any questions dealing with police work that someone may have,” Halverson said
RHS is not the only school Halverson works with. He also works with Richard Montgomery HS and Julius West MS. Prior to working as a liaison for schools, he worked on patrol and served as a detective for nine years.
“I never necessarily feel unsafe at school, but knowing that there is an officer around makes me feel even safer,” senior Felton Armstrong said.
Another member of the RHS staff that works alongside Halverson is RHS social studies teacher Christine Zafonte. Zafonte is head of the SADD program at RHS and works with Halverson to coordinate Every 15 Minutes, a two-day-long activity that demonstrates the destructive consequences of drunk driving.
Halverson plays a large part in coordinating Every 15 Minutes with the police station. “He’s just one of the … friendliest people I have ever met in my life, just because of his good nature. I think people respect him because of that,” Zafonte said. “He is really willing to work alongside the students to show them the pros and cons of the decisions they are making.”
With friendly faces like Police Corporal Halverson on campus, the safety of the RHS community is virtually advanced. The school can take comfort in the law enforcment officer that an experienced law enforcer is willing to lend his time and talents to the students and faculty.