Where are you from?
I was born and raised in El Monte.
What inspired you to become a police officer?
During my high school years, I was placed in a work source where they pay you to go work during high school, and they sent me to the community relation office, a substation to the police department. It deals with community policing, but I was at the front desk or I filed paper work. While I was there, I saw detectives and what they did with kids. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a police office, but most importantly, a Student Resource Officer.

Why did you choose Arroyo?
When I went to El Monte High School, Arroyo was our rival, so I knew a lot about Arroyo. When the position became available, I knew this was a good school, and knowing that, I wanted to come here and be a part of the good school that was mentioned in my high school years.

Is it different from your previous jobs?
Yes. Before I was a police cadet where you take reports, take complaints, listen to people who want to press charges, or ask questions. So when I was a cadet, I went to the academy to became a police officer.

 Did you know the previous officer, did he give you any advice?

Yes, he just said that the students are kids who are learning and experimenting with new things, but that’s what happens during high school. He also told me to be understanding with them because they all have a background.

What does it take to be a resource officer?

You have to be compassionate and understanding and don’t just automatically think that this kid is doing wrong because he wants to do wrong. Instead ask deeper questions and see why they are like that and attack the problem. That’s it. You need to get to the root of the problem in order to understand the kids.

What is the biggest benefit of being a resource officer?

The biggest benefit of being a resource officer is being able to talk to the kids knowing that they come back to me. They tell me how it’s going at home or how school’s going. They can trust you enough to come back to you to tell you about their life.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a resource officer? 

I believe I would be like a counselor or a social worker, somewhere along the lines of those jobs.

What is the most memorable thing that has happened to you on duty?

When people acknowledge that you’re doing the right thing because in society now some officers do bad. That doesn’t mean that we’re all bad though, so the biggest thing is when people tell you thank you. Yesterday I had something to do with a student, and I had to arrest them and what not. After my partner and I went out for lunch and someone came up to us and said “Thank you for risking you life and everything you do.”

How are you liking Arroyo?
I like it here. I didn’t expect it to be that busy, but its a very busy school and there’s a lot of stuff to do.