POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 17 PANS in the community Bridgewater Police Service by KEVIN MCBAIN School Safety Resource Officer plays an important role in the community BRIDGEWATER –Whether it's a high-five, an update on the latest video game or a pass-and-shoot on the basketball court, Bridgewater's-own Const. WilliamCreamer can talk to and relate to students in just about any way that you can think of. Creamer, a member of the Bridgewater Police force, is also the School Safety Resource Officer (SSRO) and his main mandate is to be a part of the lives of the students in all three Bridgewater schools and help them make good decisions. His ability to relate is what opens the line of communication with the students who feel they can talk to him about anything and everything and know they can trust him. "Often times my best relationships end up being with my students that there's not a whole lot of consistency in their life," he said. "The most consistency and structure they get is at school. So when they have dealings with me, I'm a trusted adult they can talk to and I can try and help them." Consistency is key, he said. His hours are from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but he is most often at work an hour early, sorting out his priorities for the day and who he needs to touch base with and how. Maybe it's a handshake, a chat with a parent, or a chat with the student. Each day he attends all three schools and makes sure he makes contact with as many students as he can. "Me, being very consistent, the students will tell me, just in random conversations different things that they may be concerned about," he said. "Maybe every third handshake or fist bump, someone may say, 'somebody newmoved into town and I'm not that comfortable with them being behind me,' or 'some of the students are doing stuff behind the curling rink, or someone is getting bullied online.'" He said handshakes mean a whole lot more than just a greeting, and it makes them more comfortable to be able to just have a quick chat with him. He also can often be found in the cafeteria at lunch time giving him an opportunity to connect with the students. "If I see someone that doesn't have a lunch or doesn't have much of one, I will get an extra slice of pizza, or whatever's on the menu," said Creamer. "We can talk, or just sit there in silence. I'm not asking anything in return, but that means more to them and to me and there's a connection made." Creamer said that he has dealt with a lot of different things in schools, depending on what grades that he is working with, but in the older grades he's dealt with thefts, assaults, bullying, substance and drug abuse and trafficking, drugs and distribution of intimate images as well. His work also takes him beyond just meeting with the students, he also has two-way communication with the parents, caregivers and grandparents, who may give him a heads-up about their students. He said that overall, Bridgewater is a "rapidly growing town, but we are still a small community. I like the fact that everyone looks out for each other here. Generally, everyone's a good person. But sometimes when you get down, youmight need a little help to get over some bumps in life. Everyone has different struggles." He said it's really nice that even some of the students that have graduated from Park View come back and seek him out for advice or to have a chat. WHO IS CONST. CREAMER? Creamer started in the police force in 2007. But before he put on the uniform he was going to school at the University of New Brunswick in the education and kinesiology program. "I came across a fewmembers of the Fredericton police who had a very large impact on my life," adding that there were police officers in his family as well. continued
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