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Officer honored for work at school
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Published: June 15, 2009
West Iredell High School Resource Officer Dallas Hicks may not think there's anything special about the way he approaches his job.
His peers at the Iredell County Sheriff's Office, who selected him as the county's School Resource Officer of the Year, obviously disagreed.
"I'm not better than anybody else," Hicks said when asked about the honor. "Anybody in this unit deserves this as much as I do."
West Iredell Principal Todd Holden said Hicks is very deserving of the honor.
"He has made a real difference at our school," he said.
Hicks, who is completing his second year at West, works to build a relationship with students, parents and the community, Holden said.
Part of that relationship-building, he said, is due to the stability Hicks brings to the job.
Prior to Hicks' arrival there two years ago, West had three different resource officers in a four-year span.
"While all of them did an excellent job for us, the consistency of Officer Hicks' program has allowed him to build relationships which have made our campus a safer place," Holden said.
Hicks helped revive the SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) chapter at West, and was instrumental in putting together a week-long program on prom week aimed at educating young people about safe driving, Holden said.
The principal also cited a number of Hicks' other accomplishments, from working with the Student Assistant Program to his vital role in the plan for Safe Schools that garnered West a prestigious state award in 2008.
Most importantly, Holden said, he knows he can count on Hicks.
"He is always there when I need him," Holden said.
For Hicks, this is a job that comes natural.
A native of Wilkes County and graduate of North Wilkes High School, where he was a state championship wrestler, Hicks went to Wilkes Community College, received his associate degree and Basic Law Enforcement Certification.
He began his career with the Wilkesboro Police Department, working as a road patrol officer. After a couple of years, he went to Boone Police Department.
Three years ago, he applied for a resource officer position in Iredell County and landed the job.
He worked as SRO at West Iredell Middle for one year before moving to WIHS.
Hicks said he loves working with young people, and believes with his presence and guidance he might prevent some of this students from being arrested by his colleagues.
The best thing about being an SRO, he said, is the young people. "You can come in here in a bad mood, but it's hard to be around these kids and not be in a good mood," he said.
Hicks said he hopes he can serve as a role model to the teens and let them know law enforcement officers can help, not just arrest.
"This is a very important, but hard job," he said. "This is definitely the most rewarding position I've ever been in."
One of Hicks' supervisors, Lt. Neil Hayes, said he was chosen for the award by his peers in the SRO unit, and will now be eligible for the Deputy of the Year award from the sheriff's office.
Hicks works hard to communicate with the entire West Iredell family, from students to faculty to parents, Hayes said.
Hicks said he is a firm believer in the benefits of the SRO program in both the high and middle schools.
"Just us being in the schools is a big deterrent to violence," he said.
Sheriff Phil Redmond said he wasn't surprised that Hicks was honored by his peers.
"I get letters and calls quite often talking about what a good job he does, and how important he is to the school," Redmond said.
Hicks, whom Holden described as very humble, downplayed his own accomplishments, instead offering appreciation to Redmond, Hayes and his other supervisors, Lt. Rick Eades and Sgt. Brian Nichols.
He also credited his peers who selected him for the honor.
"We are a team," he said. "I don't know everything, and I will call the other SROs a lot."
Calandra Davis, an assistant principal at West, said Hicks' personality and demeanor are a perfect fit for West.
"He's a wonderful SRO," she said.
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