A former school resource officer was recognized this week for his work and unique program which has helped several students get back on track.
Const. Jason Lefebvre was presented with the Youth Officer of the Year Award at the Safe Schools Conference on Monday, Nov. 2 in Calgary.
The award recognizes one officer’s performance as it relates solely to affecting youth behaviour and school/community culture. The recipient is chosen by the Alberta Association of School Resource Officers (AASRO) awards selection committee.
“I was very surprised,” says Const. Lefebvre, who now works in the Police Dispatch/911 Section at EPS Headquarters after completing his five-year post as SRO at Strathcona and McNally high schools. “It felt good to find out I had the support and that the program received support.”
Part of the award was a $500 cash prize, which Lefebvre plans to donate to the Adopt a Teen charity on behalf of the SRO Unit, at McNally high school on Dec. 18.
Almost six years ago, Const. Lefebvre developed an alternative measures program called PAYOFF (Police Assisted Youth Oriented Formative Fitness) that gives kids a chance to get back on track instead of having to pay a fine or go to court for a minor offence, like drug use/possession, shoplifting or fighting. If a participant doesn’t show up, they have to pay the fine or face bigger consequences, like going to court. Lefebvre no longer works as SRO at McNally but the school has decided to continue the program with their new SRO.
Const. Lefebvre was nominated by Const. Dan Leach, SRO at Oscar Romero high school and J.H. Picard, who saw an article about PAYOFF in the local community paper. He didn’t know Const. Lefebvre very well personally and wasn’t very familiar with the program either. But after learning more about PAYOFF, he decided to nominate Const. Lefebvre. One of the reasons for his nomination was to let him know that his contributions and caring had been noticed, recognized and appreciated by his fellow officers.
“It is quite easy for a police officer to charge someone with an offence, write a report and wait for the proceedings in court to determine the ultimate outcome. PAYOFF, however, is much more immediate, much more hands-on and much more of a commitment on behalf of the officer involved,” says Const. Leach. “I believe this demonstrates Const. Lefebvre’s dedication not only to the SRO program but to the youth he deals with.”
Written by Patrycia Thenu