Deputy begins as school cop in Medford

He first interacted with children through the DARE program. Now veteran sheriff’s deputy Tony David is connecting with school-aged kids again, but in a different way.
David is the new school resource officer, or SRO as they are commonly referred to, at Medford Public Schools. After an eight-year hiatus when DARE went away, David is back in the school setting full time throughout the school year.
“I enjoyed when I was here teaching DARE,” said David, who was the DARE officer in Medford and Ellendale from 2003 to 2013. “I wanted to get back in the school and get more involved again.”
David’s latest arrival at Medford is part of a federally sponsored grant approved by the Steele County Sheriff’s Office and Medford Schools earlier this year. The grant covers 75% of the cost, while the county and school district will be splitting the remaining 25% over the next three years.
As an SRO, David will be in full uniform walking the hallways and perimeter of the school and visiting classrooms, including elementary, junior high and senior high. “Just being visible,” David said in explaining his new role at the school.
More than anything, David wants to be a positive role model for children. “I don’t want them to be frightened about law enforcement,” he said, adding officers are approachable and should be viewed as a resource.
The most enjoyable part of the day, David said, is carrying on conversations with students and staff members. He fully expects minor issues to arise during the school year, but David hopes his presence will deter anything major from taking place.
David is no stranger to children. He has been active in the community through the DNR’s youth firearm safety program, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Steele County Safety Camp and Special Olympics. He and his wife, Sonya, who is a paraprofessional at McKinley Elementary School in Owatonna, are currently mentoring a fifth-grade student through BBBS. 
David, who grew up in Owatonna, has been a sheriff’s deputy in Steele County for 22 years, mostly serving in the civil process division. He also served as a police officer in Waterville for seven years.
Kevin Babcock, Medford High School principal, welcomes the presence of law enforcement in the school. “It’s nice to have someone monitoring the hallways,” Babcock said. “He is all over the place. It has been positive and we haven’t had a single outburst.”
While Medford’s crime in school is low, Babcock said schools can’t be oblivious to the school shootings around the country. “This will be an extra presence of safety,” he said, adding he hopes the SRO will build strong relationships with students.
Sheriff Lon Thiele approached Medford about having an SRO when he found out about the federal grant. “The program is a wonderful way for the children to interact with law enforcement and still have security of mind that they will be safe,” Thiele said.
While many larger districts across the country have stopped funding SROs in schools, Thiele said having an SRO is more important now than ever before. “We need to rebuild a lot of community trust with the events that have happened in the metro area,” he said. “Law enforcement and children need to have a network to build trust that will last.”
The sheriff also tried to start the SRO program in Ellendale, but the NRHEG School Board voted against it at this time.
The SRO program will go for at least three years with the county having the option to continue it beyond, according to Thiele. After the third year, the county may absorb the position into the regular staffing of the sheriff’s office, he said. “We want to keep it as long as we can,” he added.
Even though Babcock would like to see David in plain clothes while in school, Thiele said he wants to stick with a full uniform. “Security is presence of a uniform,” Thiele said.
Within the next month, David will be re-starting the DARE program at Medford for sixth graders. “If he is SRO, why not take advantage to utilize the DARE program again,” Thiele said, adding it will start up as quickly as David gets through training.
Besides DARE training, David will also go through a one-week SRO training in Missouri.