The bell rings and he stands atop the balcony gazing down upon the student body for any signs of danger. His eyes dart from student to student, carefully assessing the situation. The occasional teen glances up at Officer Daniel Roach to see not a silent, scowling guardian, but instead a friendly face of comfort and protection.

Officer Roach recently joined the Canyon High staff as the campus’s new Liaison Officer. Prior to his new position, Roach worked for nine years as an officer of the law with aspirations to protect and serve the youth of his community.

“Being a Liaison Officer was always my million dollar answer when anyone asked me what I wanted to do,” Roach said. “Being in law enforcement, you can do crime scene investigation and several other things, however none of that stuff really inspired me. Between my wife and I, we have six kids, so I thought to myself going and working with kids might be the best thing for me. I soon found out that Cody Jones was leaving, so I thought about it and decided I would interview for his position.”

Roach said that the adjustment into his new position has been strange but welcoming.

“My adjustment period has been very different because when you are on the streets and taking calls, you are going from call to call looking into things like thefts, criminal mischief or fights, and then you also run traffic stops,” Roach said. “I graduated from Canyon in 2000, so now I’m here again and my day is busy, but in a different way. I am busy talking to people here and dealing with the few times we have an incident on campus.”

Roach said his current daily routine consists largely of becoming familiar with the people at school.

“My daily routine here at Canyon High starts with me saying hello to everyone and trying to get acquainted with some of the students,” Roach said. “I also am working to become familiar with the faculty. Right now, my biggest job is just getting to know people because I came over here not really knowing anyone.”

Roach said he is actively working to improve and maintain the safety of his campus.

“I have gone through some of the camera systems here with Mr. Singleton and have done my best to fix a few issues in that area,” Roach said. “We are about to go through an inspection audit on the system where administrators and officials from other areas come to inspect our school, so it is up to me and the other faculty to ensure that we are in compliance with their criteria.”

Roach said student involvement and awareness are crucial in stopping any illegal activities within the student body.

“I can’t walk around the campus and just start accusing students of crimes,” Roach said. “The principals and I rely on the students to inform us just as much as the kids rely on us to inform them in order to prevent crime and keep our school safe.” 

Roach stressed the importance of utilizing additional resources in the fight against student crime.

“Don’t be afraid to tell,” Roach said. “We have access to the Stay Alert system and Student Crime Stoppers which helps because sometimes students prefer not to talk to the police due to them finding us intimidating or nerve-racking. I’m just human like anybody else, and I have a job to do just like everyone else.”