Robert Bennett

by Lynne Ober

Ask Officer Bob how long he’s lived in Litchfield and he’ll say forever. Robert ‘Officer Bob’ Bennett and his wife moved to Litchfield in the 70’s.

Bob was an educator by profession who decided to help the town where he lived. He attended the Police Academy for part time officers and became a part-time Litchfield Police Officer, a position he’s held for thirty-two years.

While working part time for Litchfield Police, he continued his full-time educational occupation and was a father to his own three children.

By the time Bob retired from education in 2003, he’d spent over forty years working with children - 21 of those years were spent with middle school children. Even when he moved from the classroom into an administrative role, he still made sure to have time for the kids. As a principal he was very involved in all aspects of students’ educational experience.

“I was at Parker Middle School for nine years,” he recalled. “During that time we started the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) curriculum. I thought it was excellent. Kids learned ways to avoid conflicts, strategies for saying no in bad situations and had positive, friendly interaction with the police.”

Bob had an excellent opportunity to learn about the D.A.R.E. curriculum. “The D.A.R.E. officer at Parker had been through the Chelmsford school system and I had an opportunity to really watch what he did with the kids. It was impressive.”

Bob eventually moved to McCarthy Middle School in Chelmsford, Massachusetts where he was the principal, but he never forgot his positive exposure to D.A.R.E. and the benefits that he felt it offered to kids.

When he retired from the Chelmsford School System in June, 2003, then Litchfield Chief of Police Iverson asked him if he’d like to be Litchfield’s D.A.R.E. officer and he jumped at the chance. Today’s he’s one of two D.A.R.E. officers in Litchfield, but it wasn’t without overcoming some obstacles.

There are three training phases that each D.A.R.E. officer must complete to be certified to teach the D.A.R.E. curriculum. Officers must complete Facilitation training (Phase I) and Elementary Orientation training (Phase II). Phase III is aimed at providing teaching insights and mastery of the overall curriculum.

In addition, each D.A.R.E. certified officer must be a full-time police officer with three years experience. Bob was not. He was a part-time officer with more than twenty years experience.

There is a difference between the Police Academy attended by a full-time officer and the Police Academy attended by a part-time officer. Full-time officers attend a twelve-week full-time academy, but part-time officers, who frequently have other full-time occupations, attend a 100-hour police academy.

“Chief Iverson went to bat for Bob,” said current Litchfield Police Chief Joseph O’Brion. “He made sure that the lengthy services that Bob has given to the Litchfield Police Department plus Bob’s background as a professional educator were considered when they decided whether to allow Bob to train for the D.A.R.E. curriculum. Thanks to him, Bob was accepted.”

The D.A.R.E. curriculum teaches kids how to recognize and resist the direct and subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs. And since between 70% and 90% of all crime is drug related, it is absolutely vital that we reach the children of America before it is too late. It is offered to fifth and sixth graders with the hope that they will have developed avoidance strategies and an understanding of the dangers associated with drugs before they experience peer pressure to try drugs. “It gives kids options to say no to harmful agents,” said Bob.

“State standards for part time officers mandate that they work no more than 1300 hours in a year,” said O’Brion. “Bob is scheduled for 648 hours every year as D.A.R.E. and School Resource Officer. He is saving the Town money as well as providing an excellent program. With his background and love of kids, he’s a natural at this program.”

“I tell the kids to call me Officer Bob and to introduce me to their parents when they see me out and about and they do,” Bob smiled with a twinkle in his eye. “This best part of this [being D.A.R.E. and School Resource Officer] is that kids see me and other police officers in a different light. They build up a trust level that will carry over into their adult years.”

In addition to teaching the D.A.R.E. curriculum to fifth and sixth graders, Officer Bob goes to recess with third and fourth graders, who will see him as a friend long before they learn about drug awareness. “I get invitations to lunch and I go,” he adds with a big grin.

Although at first reluctant to certify Bob in the D.A.R.E. curriculum, the state program has recognized his vast experience and potential and he’s been asked to become a teacher for other police officers going through the D.A.R.E. certification program. “That’s a real feather in our cap,” said O’Brion. “He’s level headed, enthusiastic and a wonderful resource. I’m proud that the state recognizes that too.”

As the New Hampshire Educator for D.A.R.E. Bob is an educational advisor to other officers as well as a liaison to officers and towns offering the program. Last year Bob invited Governor Craig Benson to the two D.A.R.E. graduations and he came. “We had to shuffle the schedule a bit, but we managed.”