New Campus Cop Goes Back to School

Being a campus police officer means sometimes having to do homework. That’s a lesson Juan Ponce of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is learning at his job as the new Moorpark High School campus officer.

Last week, Ponce responded to a call from a mother fed up with her son’s truancy.

“The parents told [the boy] that if he didn’t get out of bed they were going to call the police and have him arrested,” Ponce said. “He didn’t believe them.”

The boy soon looked up to find Ponce, in full uniform, standing by his bed. Ponce cited him for truancy, and later in the day, the two had a chat.

Since then, the boy has been getting to school.

Ponce has only been in the job for three weeks, but he is already credited with making a difference.

Ponce’s presence and visibility are his biggest contributions, Principal Anna Merriman said.

“He’s like a magnet with kids,” Merriman said.

Ponce, 27, is indeed very visible. Going about his routine on a recent day, he kept an eye on his watch to make sure to get outside during breaks and lunch.

Just as a break bell rang, Ponce was parked on a bench in the middle of campus, prepared for the onslaught.

Ponce greets anyone and everyone, asking how class is going, complimenting a new haircut.

“This comes naturally to me,” he said. “I like this. I don’t have to pretend to smile.”

On lunch break he answers questions: How fast can a patrol car go? How do you become a police officer?

“Students in general don’t really get to talk to a police officer face to face unless there’s something wrong,” he said. “This is the perfect opportunity to show them we care about the future of Moorpark, which is them.”