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PAGE 2 | THE VILLAGER • June 11, 2020
Schools
GVPD Officer Rodney Valenzuela exemplifies the best in community policing BY FREDA MIKLIN GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER
Community policing is the philosophical backbone of the Greenwood Village Police Department (GVPD). You can find it right on its home page on the city’s website. Rodney Valenzuela told The Villager that it means working to build and maintain positive relationships with businesses, schools, neighborhood groups, and all the people in them. How does he do it? “I try to be at every fire drill at the schools for which I am the SRO (school resource officer), but I absolutely never miss the first one of the school year at elementary school. Most young children haven’t previously experienced the flashing lights and sirens and they can get scared. I make sure I am right there to tell them everything is all right and they are safe. That is a way of developing trust in police officers at a young age.” “Making mistakes is part of growing up. If I get called to King Soopers because a middle school or high school student has shoplifted, the first thing I do is encourage parents to remain calm when they arrive. Then I give the student and parent plenty of time to ask every question they can think of when I issue the citation for the behavior because, when they are finished, I say, “Don’t let your mistakes define you and know that I will never discuss this ticket with you again.” He explained, “That is my way of letting them know I have every confidence they will learn from their mistake and move forward in a positive direction. I don’t want them to be afraid to talk to me in the future if they feel they need to because they are embarrassed about this incident.” Valenzuela loves to watch middle-schoolers grow and mature. He told us, “Sixth-graders love cops. By 7th grade they aren’t sure, and in 8th, it isn’t cool.” I have an account in the lunchroom at West Middle School (funded with his own money) that I use for kids when I see them not eating and I find out they let their account run out of money.” Valenzuela told us about a sixth grader he talked to ten years ago on a day when the boy was doing so poorly at school that he began talking about looking forward to the day he could drop out. Valenzuela said, “I will bet you $100 right here and now in front of your friends that six years from now, you will
Then I give the student and parent plenty of time to ask every question they can think of when I issue the citation for the behavior because, when they are finished, I say,“Don’t let your mistakes define you and know that I will never discuss this ticket with you again.” He explained, “That is my way of letting them know I have every confidence they will learn from their mistake and move forward in a positive direction.“ – School Resource Officer Rodney Valenzuela
be graduating from high school and getting ready to go to college.” He kept in contact with the student and on the day he graduated from Cherry Creek High School, Valenzuela proudly and publicly, with the child’s friends and family around, told him he was paying off his bet and gave him
the $100. He wasn’t sure if the young man remembered that day back in sixth grade, but it didn’t matter. Valenzuela told us, “One of the most important things I believe in, especially when it comes to dealing with young people, is to never promise and not deliver.” He attends neighborhood events like 4th of July celebrations and always brings candy for the children. He plays “a mean game of four-square” with middle-schoolers. He tells high schoolers that no matter what happens, they will be alright. His business card has his cell phone number on it and he answers it no matter what time or day. He told us about a time his phone rang at midnight and a 17-year-old male student was calling from a party where a female friend was throwing up in a bathroom from drinking alcohol. He was with her to make sure she was all right when he heard police come into the house. He asked Valenzuela what he should do. He told the boy to seek out the officers and calmly explain the situation. He might be in some trouble but coming forward and being completely honest was the best course of action. The boy took his advice and was extremely grateful. Valenzuela also finds time to gets to know business owners and operators in his city. That is another important part of community policing. He wants them to know there is
Upon overhearing that Michael Howanitz’ 18-year-old son had been part of a horrific accident and witnessed a fatality, Officer Valenzuela introduced himself and told Howanitz about complimentary victim assistance services provided by Greenwood Village. This picture was taken as he gave the father the brochure and explained its contents. Valenzuela was not involved in the investigation of the accident.
always a police officer they can call directly if they have a question or a concern. When Officer Valenzuela came out to meet for our interview, he happened to overhear a conversation we were having with Michael Howanitz, who was talking about his 18-year-old son Christian having witnessed a traumatizing fatal accident. Valenzuela, who was not part of the team of police officers who investigated that accident, introduced himself and told Mr. Howanitz that Greenwood Village provided complimentary victim assistance services. He located a detailed brochure about the program and read it with Howanitz to make sure he knew exactly
These words, placed on the message board outside Cherry Creek’s West Middle School at Belleview and Holly on May 25 and 26, tell all the world that the students and faculty appreciate GVPD Officer Rodney Valenzuela “for all he does for us at West.”
Photos by Freda Miklin
how to get any help that his son might need as a result of his experience. Rodney Valenzuela started his law enforcement career at GVPD as a dispatcher in 2003 and graduated from the police training academy three years later. After three years as a patrol officer, Valenzuela got special training in community policing and was soon appointed by then Police Chief (now City Manager) John Jackson to the first community liaison position in the department. When the school resource officer position opened up, he took that on as well. GV was a smaller city then and the world was a less complicated place. Officer Rodney Valenzuela is very well-known and equally wellliked and respected by many, many residents of the city he serves and protects. Before we left, we felt like we had to ask him what he thought about the recent incident in Minneapolis where George Floyd died at the hands of police officers who already had him in custody. Valenzuela had posted a message on social media right after it happened that said, “Nobody hates a bad police officer more than good police officers. Nobody.” He told us that what happened in Minneapolis could have never happened in Greenwood Village. Said Valenzuela, “Even if it were somehow possible that an officer could have thought to initiate the behavior that we all witnessed, and that is extremely difficult to imagine, I can say with 100 percent certainty that any and all other officers who saw it would have put a stop to it immediately. There is no doubt about that.” Fmiklin.villager@gmail. com
