CHARLOTTESVILLE — Helping others and making a difference is something veteran law enforcement officer Rick Wilcher has always enjoyed doing. The longtime Greenfield Police Department officer was hired earlier this summer by Eastern Hancock Community Schools to be the district’s full-time School Resource Officer (SRO).
Officials with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department made Wilcher a special deputy to give him the law enforcement accreditation. Wilcher had officially retired in January from the GPD after 20 years of community service on the force.
During his time as a GPD officer, Wilcher spent some 15 of those years working part-time as an SRO for Greenfield-Central schools. It was something he continued to do after the GPD retirement until the full-time SRO position at Eastern Hancock became available.
“I’m thankful for Sheriff (Brad) Burkhart for putting me on as special deputy so I can do this job here,” Wilcher said.
Wilcher, who graduated from Greenfield-Central High School, worked during his off time as a SRO at G-CHS, Greenfield Central Junior High and at G-C elementary schools, making him the perfect person for the job at Eastern Hancock Community Schools due to the fact all three educational levels are in one massive building. Wilcher is now working with kindergarten through high school students every day and it’s something that suits him.
“When I was a kid, I think back and I had a lot of really good coaches who instilled in me good habits and made me want to do the right things, and once I started being a SRO part time all those years ago, I started realizing the kids look at SROs as a coach or a teacher, and that means I can have a positive impact on them at all times,” Wilcher said.
Having the chance to be on the Eastern Hancock campus each day gives him a chance to interact with the kids constantly and let them know someone cares about them and their well being.
“I think a lot of people may look at a SRO from only the security part of things and that’s important, but there is so much more we can do as a SRO around the building, and I think it’s important that it’s the same SRO every day,” Wilcher said.
Eastern Hancock principal Adam Barton said Wilcher is off to a great start with the students, teachers, staff and in the community.
“He has the experience as an officer and as an SRO, which is a perfect fit for Eastern Hancock,” Barton said. “He was highly recommended by everyone we talked to and after working with him a few weeks I completely understand why he is so well thought of.”
Barton noted Wilcher finds a way to relate to everyone across our building, from kindergartners through seniors, and he has been very visible through the day and at evening activities.
“I am looking forward to him being a part of our EH family for a long time,” Barton said.
While Wilcher said he truly enjoys being a SRO, he says it’s hard sometimes because he knows not every student has a good story and some kids are struggling with difficult family situations. It’s why he wants to make sure he takes the time to let students know he’s there to help and listen should they need it.
“From being a cop, you’re in people’s homes and you know when some kids leave school and head home it’s a whole different story because they may not be heading into the most loving or safest setting and that’s hard,” Wilcher said. “That’s why when they’re in school we need to let the kids know someone is here who cares because some kids don’t go home to the best.”
Wilcher said that after 15 years of being a SRO at G-C schools he’s been able to see kids grow up, become adults and contribute to the community, and he’s enjoyed that part of the job. If all goes according to plans, he’ll stay the SRO at Eastern Hancock for the next 13 years, meaning he’ll get to see the current kindergarten class graduate high school. That’s when he plans to retire from the post with that class.
“I hope that’s how it works out,” Wilcher said. “The chance to be with kids from kindergarten through high school and watch them graduate as I turn 65 and retire would be kind of the goal.”
Wilcher noted he was planning to go ahead and stay with G-C school as a part-time SRO this year, but when he visited with Barton, toured the school campus and met the staff, something told him the Eastern Hancock campus was a special place and it was where he was supposed to be.
“The environment is different from other schools and that’s not anything against all the other schools because they are great too, but this is a really special place,” Wilcher said. “It reminds me of when I was younger and when I went to school.”
