BETHALTO - Bethalto Police Department's School Resource Officer Jeff Shank was recently named the Civic Memorial High School Staff Member of the Month.
"Thanks for all you do SRO Shank for our community's youth and keeping our schools safe," Bethalto Police Chief Mike Dixon said.
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Chief Dixon said he believes Jeff is ideal for his role as the school resource officer.
"I am excited about what he has done there since he was chosen for the position," the chief added. "This is something he has always wanted to do."
Dixon said Jeff has strong religious convictions and is caring for the children.
"The school kids and staff both relate to Jeff," he said. "He has established rapport with the youth early and that helps them see that police officers are not the bad guy. It also helps to identify problems before they happen."
Jeff is a graduate of Southwestern High School and also graduated from the University of Mississippi. He is also on the board of the Bethalto Boys & Girls Club, Bethalto's community policing neighborhood watch liaison, vice president of his church, and much more. He is also certified with the state as a Crisis Intervention Team member and a juvenile officer. Shank's CM trap squad captured the Olin Trap & Skeet League Championship this past year. He has been CM's head coach since 2020.
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