Behind the Badge
It seems every day there is a new viral video involving police officers that comes across my social media feed.
In many cases it’s someone accusing an officer of behaving badly or capturing an officers use of force.
However, every once in a while, there is one that is quite the opposite.
Such was the case when I saw a YouTube video featuring Brentwood Police Department School Resource Officer Mitch Brouillette.
Officer Mitch, as he is known, was showered with messages and gifts of appreciation by Heritage High School students during an elaborately staged event. With the support of the Dude.be nice clothing company, the students danced to his favorite song in a flash mob, gave him tickets to a Miami Heat game and presented him with a signed Dan Marino Miami Dolphins video to express their gratitude for all he does for them.
A ruse was staged where Officer Mitch was told one of the kids he knows well, Sienna, was involved in a distasteful video posted on social media. Social media bullying is something Officer Mitch is passionate about.
Officer Mitch was called into the principal’s office to meet with the Sienna and watch the video.
But the video instead showed a series of video clips of students thanking him for all he does for them.
Officer Mitch gets a bit teary eyed as he walks out of the principal’s office and into the courtyard where hundreds of students perform to “Downtown” by Macklemore – while some of his colleagues appear to watch.
The video has been viewed millions of times on YouTube.
Officer Mitch is definitely one of the good guys. But he’s not the only one.
School resource officers touch the lives of hundreds of students every day. It’s not just misbehavior they address. I’ve seen them deal with teen pregnancy, attempted suicide, child abuse and even social awkwardness.
Joe is a retired Anaheim Police Department captain. You can reach him at jvargas@behindthebadgeoc.com.
