‘Officer Jay’ a hit with Matawan school kids
Detective Jason Gallo may become full-time juvenile officer
By alison granito
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI Matawan school resource officer Jason Gallo is a hit with students at Ravine Drive Elementary School and Matawan Avenue Middle School.

MATAWAN — When Detective Jason Gallo walks into a classroom at Ravine Drive School, cheers of "Officer Jay" erupt from the class.

In his tenure as the Matawan Borough school resource officer, Gallo has become a favorite of the students at Ravine Drive School and Matawan Avenue Middle School.

"For the kids now, it is not such a big deal for them to see a cop," said Gallo. "Before, when they would see an officer, it would be a shock to many of them."

Gallo said that through his presence in the schools, the children in the community learn that they don’t have to be "intimidated" by the police.

"I get to know them one to one," Gallo said of the students. "I am another outlet for them. If they have a problem, they know they can go to their teacher or someone at school, but they can come to me now, too."

Since one of his main duties is to teach the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) classes at Ravine Drive, Gallo, who studied teaching at one point, is particularly effective at his job.

"Jay is just wonderful with the kids," said third-grade teacher Patricia Janover. "He is there as a role model and authority figure, but also as their friend. They feel like they can go to him with anything."

Janover, who gave her class a writing assignment in which they each had to write an essay about a "mighty" person, said many of her students chose to write about "Officer Jay."

"They really feel protected by him. The children look up to him," Janover said.

"It makes you feel good to do something and see that it’s working," said Gallo of his popularity as the choice for a "mighty" person among Janover’s class.

According to Gallo, his job does not stop at the school doors. Frequently, if children have come to him with problems, he has spent time trying to help out that student, and parents as well, if they approach him about troubles with their children.

At the middle school, Gallo’s presence has the added effect of deterring signs of trouble before it can happen.

"The kids know that I am on the premises and that there is a police presence in the area," said Gallo.

Police Chief William W. Toomer has a similar view of the benefit of having a school resource officer.

"With people aware of violence in the schools these days, we felt it would be effective for us to have somebody in there with the kids," said Toomer, who also worked in the schools as the borough’s first DARE officer.

"He [Gallo] is our liaison to the kids. He is there to talk to them, counsel them and guide them if they start to go in the wrong direction," said the chief. "He has taken youths headed in the wrong direction and turned them around before they got caught up in the system."

Councilwoman Donna Gould said that she and others in the municipal government have been impressed by Gallo’s success with the children and feels that the money the borough spends to cover the costs of a school resource officer is well spent.

"We voted for it, we paid for it, and we believe in it," said Gould, who has been supporting Gallo’s work in the schools by collecting donations of toys from local merchants that "Officer Jay" can pass out to the students as rewards in his DARE classes.

"We are dedicated to making this work, and from what I can see it really is working," said Gould.

Both Gould and Toomer were hopeful that the borough will give the Police Department the green light to hire an additional officer at Tuesday’s council meeting.

If that were to occur, Toomer said that Gallo would be freed from other police duties and become the department’s full-time juvenile officer and be able "to dedicate all of his time to juvenile issues."