When a fight is going to break out at Jackson High School, there’s one person who often knows about it in advance: Tom Brewski, the school’s resource officer.
As the Mill Creek police officer stationed on campus, it’s his job to find out things before they happen.
“I usually find out well ahead of time,” he said. “(Students) come to me and tell me things.”
Brewski is a familiar face at Jackson and Heatherwood Middle School, where he also serves as resource officer.
Mornings, he rides his bike around the schools’ perimeters, looking for intruders and smokers; during school hours, he walks the halls.
“They like talking to me,” he said of the students. “Most of the time they won’t even (converse), they’ll just say, ‘Hey Brewski.’”
On Monday, Feb. 25, he talked to this reporter in his Jackson office, a glassed-in space near the school’s entrance. He’d just come in from patrolling on his bike, wearing a blue uniform, bike helmet and protective glasses, and carting the school radio.
During the interview, he paused several times to wave back to students who waved to him through his office window.
Upbeat marimba music played in the background and seemed a good accompaniment to Brewski’s laid-back and amiable style.
Brewski begins his day at the school with a bike or car ride around both campuses.
“Kids like to smoke cigarettes — there are a few areas they like to hang in where citizens don’t like them to hang in,” he said.
Less frequently, he finds drugs, he said. He also looks for intruders and makes sure cars are stopping in the crosswalk.
During the day, he keeps the school radio with him and responds to requests. For example, if a student is causing trouble and refuses to leave their classroom, or threatens another student, he escorts them out.
During passing time he walks the halls to get his face out there, and at lunch he patrols the campus.
And he responds to crimes.
“Anything that can happen on the street,” he said.
The top crime at Jackson is theft, Brewski said. No. 2 is drugs. In the “drugs” category he includes cigarettes, and it’s mostly cigarettes, he said.
He estimates he sees 10 to 20 drug cases a year.
“Everything from marijuana to Ecstasy to prescription drugs,” Brewski said.
The third biggest offense is truancy — students leaving campus when they’re not supposed to. It’s not a crime, but Brewski helps the school with it, he said.
He’s also investigated rapes on campus, though there have never been any charges associated with them.
“Rapes that purportedly occurred here,” he clarified.
Nevertheless, he said Jackson is a safe place.
“It’s very safe,” he said. “I personally have not worked in any school but this, but I feel this is one of the safest schools in the area.”
For example, recently Mariner High School suffered a bad gang problem.
Gangs recently made their appearance at Jackson, but have disappeared for now, Brewski said.
He monitors gang dress and behavior and tries to stop gangs before they get out of hand.
“At the beginning of the year, we had a good problem with it, but it’s gone away at this point,” he said. “They like to try, but we’re on them.”
Brewski got his start as a cop and in schools when he lived in the very small town of Terry, Mont. There, he was the Prairie County Sheriff, ambulance coordinator and county fire chief. He was also a brand inspector, deputy coroner and coached football and taught speech and drama at the local high school. All at the same time.
“I do less hours of work here than there,” Brewski said.
It was in Montana that Brewski had good experiences working with kids, so he wanted the job at Jackson.
His favorite part of the job, he said, is saying ‘hi’ to the students.
“They’re just starting out and have such fresh ideas — they’re full of energy,” he said.
Cops started working in schools after the shootings at Columbine, and they’re there to respond to incidents and keep something big from happening, Brewski said.
Not many people want the job. They think of it as being a “kiddy cop,” Brewski said.
“None of those who have worked in this job would ever say that,” he said.
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