BY CAMERON MCDOUGAL

Police officers are some of the hardest working, most dedicated people out there. They work hard to protect and to serve communities across the country. Police officers often get a bad reputation from the public, sometimes simply for doing their job, but the bottom line is that they are here to protect us. Officer Adam Innocenti, a School Resource Officer for Wadsworth City Schools, thrives on protecting the town he lives in and serving the people of the community.

Officer Innocenti went on to college at the University of Akron where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and Emergency Management. He finished out his education by attending and graduating from the police academy. Officer Innocenti proudly explains that he scored third out of 100 candidates taking the Civil Service Exam.

In order to earn a position on the Wadsworth Police Force, he then had to go through a rigorous process of background checks, a physical, as well as physical ability tests, a psychological exam, and in his words, an extremely difficult five person panel interview.

“Building the SRO (School Resource Officer) program is my biggest accomplishment so far,” explains Officer Innocenti.

He began this program five years ago and feels it has been tremendously successful. He explains that students did not really know what a police officer does all day, and now “it has helped kids reach out to police officers more, not just me, but officers in the community as well.” He adds, “I think this program has shown a positive side to police and this is reflective of how pleasant kids are to me at school.” When asked if he feels he is making a difference in the school, he said he definitely thinks so and that students will often come to him with questions, concerns and advice on how to handle situations.

Officer Innocenti explains that drugs are the biggest issue facing teens today but that Wadsworth has a great group of kids, and he is not overly concerned. He adds that the second biggest issue for teens today is social media and learning to use it in the right way. Overall, he feels that the SRO program has aided in bringing awareness of drugs, alcohol and social media to all ages, and making sure that kids know the effects and are informed on how to use good judgement. Officer Innocenti has recently been awarded an accreditation and plaque from the Wadsworth Police Department for the SRO program.

Officer Innocenti states that the best part of his job is not sitting at a desk all day, but being able to get out into the community and being involved. The only downside is that it often involves long hours, and it is often “hard to leave things at work, and I sometimes carry home what I have seen and done that day.”

When he is not at work, Officer Innocenti enjoys family time the most. His goal for the future is to eventually be a detective because he truly enjoys investigating, following up with people and trying to solve cases. He stated that his motto for life is, “to treat others as you want to be treated, and always be happy for others,” and explains that he tries to exemplify this in the work he does.