Shannon Kelly | Altavista Journal News Correspondent
1st Sergeant Gary Penn has accepted a position as a school resource officer with Campbell County after serving with the Altavista Police Department for 8 years.
“The reason for my switch is to be more involved with the children in the community,” Penn explains. “I have a passion for children. Anytime I can help a child, anytime that I can be a positive image to young people, I try to do that.”
As a school resource officer, Penn says his top priority is for the protection of the schools and those inside it. He also hopes to be a positive role model to the students he interacts with. “They’re at a teachable age right now,” he comments. He is currently serving both Brookneal Elementary and Altavista Elementary schools.
“I’ve always enjoyed being in a position where I can help people, especially children,” the father of 2 and grandfather of 5 states. In his early 20s, Penn says that he worked with young people struggling with intellectual disabilities in what was then called ARC (formerly Association for Retarded Citizens, now called “the Arc”).
“I enjoyed my work there in [the] town of Altavista,” he concludes. “I miss seeing the people there, but I really enjoy working with the children now. It’s given me an opportunity to do a different type of police work that I’ve always wanted to do.”
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