Guarding the Nest: Security at PCDS

As the sun washes over Camelback Mountain on Monday mornings, Phoenix Police Department Officer Theresa Augustine is stationed dutifully at the entrance to the Walk of Champions, greeting students as they arrive for the day. When the influx of students ceases and traffic vacates 40th Street, Officer Augustine begins her usual patrol around campus.

In our busy lives as students, it is not often that we take a moment to appreciate the individuals who dedicate themselves to bettering our community. Yet each day, as we learn and connect with our peers, countless people work behind the scenes to ensure that our experiences at PCDS are positive and safe.

After the first bell rings, Officer Augustine drives around campus and checks that each door is secure. In the afternoons, she directs traffic on 40th Street or Stanford Drive, ensuring that every entrance is locked when students leave at the end of the day. While every Monday at PCDS looks a little different, Officer Augustine notes that one of the most common issues the security team faces is unlocked doors–especially when students let their friends onto campus without notifying the security team.  Above all, she adds, “We smile, mingle, and make sure everyone is having a good time.”

Officer Augustine has worked in law enforcement for over six years. Her involvement in this line of work stems from her strong desire to help others. Additionally, she enjoys how “it’s a job where no two days are ever the same.”

As for her involvement in PCDS campus safety, Officer Augustine enjoys being back in a school setting, given that she previously worked at a kindergarten. Officer Augustine finds that the most rewarding part of her job at PCDS is seeing “everyone smiling, and saying hello, and just being happy.”

Phoenix Police Department Officer Israel Robinson, who joins the PCDS community on Thursdays, echoes a similar sentiment. He says, “There’s never any drama here, it’s a beautiful campus, [and] the staff is really nice.”

Officer Robinson has worked in law enforcement at the Phoenix Police Department for nearly three years and has been an integral part of PCDS campus safety for around one year. “I’m a big [proponent] of instead of complaining about an issue, you should be a part of the solution,” Officer Robinson shares. “It’s exciting, it’s a career opportunity, and I’m just a people person. I’m pretty level-headed, and I think that in this line of work, that’s what you need.”

Every Thursday, Officer Robinson patrols around campus, monitoring the doors and ensuring that every entrance is secure. Additionally, he notes that keeping PCDS safe extends beyond the campus perimeter itself. Motioning to his radio, he says, “This is tapped into the City of Phoenix, [and] also Paradise [Valley], so if something is going on outside of the school that I need to be aware of, then I monitor that [in case] I need to lock down the school.”

However, Officer Robinson notes that his work at PCDS is relatively straightforward compared to his typical role in human trafficking at the Phoenix Police Department. Of this work, he says, “It’s rewarding when I’m able to find a twelve-year-old that’s being human trafficked, or that’s being exploited, or that is missing.” Officer Robinson described this job as being challenging yet rewarding; often, he has to put himself in “tricky situations [s]” to “get them back to their parents, get them back to DCS, or wherever they need to get to.” He adds, “Last week, I was able to track down a young girl, and she was my daughter’s age. She was only thirteen. And she was being taken advantage of. And so that was good.”

It is evident that both Officer Augustine and Officer Robinson, along with the countless other Phoenix Police Department officers and members of the PCDS security team, truly value their work at PCDS and in the greater community of Phoenix. The impacts they make on our lives are truly indelible.