(This is a shortened version of a story I wrote from the second Ballwin Board meeting I covered!)
At the Sept. 23 Board of Aldermen meeting, Interim Police Chief John Bergfeld introduced Ballwin Police Officer Michael Hitchcock to the meeting crowd for a very special award he recently won.
On Sept. 12, Hitchcock was named School Resource Officer of the Year by the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame. According to the Hall of Fame’s website, “The purpose [of the award] is to recognize those officers that have gone above and beyond in one way or another in the line of duty.”
Hitchcock certainly is a prime example of the “above and beyond” statement. He is currently in his fourth year as the resource officer at Selvidge Middle in the Rockwood School District and is always looking to improve the lives of others.
The 33-year Ballwin Police veteran has a glowing resume that includes school programs like an after-school mentoring program in which citizens tutor students and first responders vs. students basketball games that encourage positive interaction between the groups.
Bergfeld, who submitted Hitchcock’s award nomination, offeres a few statements at the board meeting.
“He would also get a group of four or five students and reward them by taking them to a lunch gathering,” Bergfeld said of Hitchcock. “These were not the honor students with the best grades all the time, but ones with improved grades and behavior.”
“It’s just more or less trying to create a new environment in school,” Hitchcock said. “I look for ways to be useful working with kids and staff. Reading tutoring is something I’ve always done in public schools. I always did what I do voluntarily.”
Hitchcock’s efforts don’t stop at the school or police department doors. In fact, he also manages an emergency food pantry and his award nomination notes that he coordinates church volunteers to clean up yards and do minor home repairs for low income and elderly residents so they aren’t cited for building code violations. He also recruited local churches to sponsor a hotel voucher program.
“Homeless people traveling through the area receive a voucher for a one-night stay in an area hotel,” Hitchcock explained. “These vouchers have been used by women trying to get out of a domestic violence relationship.”
At the Sept. 23 meeting, the city’s aldermen also commended Hitchcock for his efforts.
“His ability to bridge the gap between kids, the community, school and police is absolutely incredible,” Alderman Ross Bullington [Ward 4] said.
The Hall of Fame’s website proclaims: “The Hall of Fame looks forward to honoring LEOs [law enforcement officers] each and every year. Athough most say they don’t do the job for the recognition, we feel their stories need to be heard.”
Hitchcock certainly humbles himself in every way possible instead of proclaiming that he is doing anything extraordinary.
“I’ve always volunteered within my church,” Hitchcock said. “These things are essentially an extension of what I was already doing.”
