Hampton New Hampshire school resource officer is retiring on disability (mold)

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6-26-2006

Officer Tom Linane

Hampton school resource officer is retiring in disability

By Cronin

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HAMPTON - Officer Tom Linane, who served as the Hampton Academy school

resource officer, said he’s ready to start the next chapter in his life.

The 18-year veteran, who has been on sick leave since 2005 after he was

exposed to toxic mold that was growing in his office at the school, is retiring

in disability.

Linane said his retirement is related to injuries suffered from the mold

that was found in his office at the school. The mold has since been removed.

" I’m doing a lot better than I was, " Linane said. " I have great doctors who

are taking care of me and I’m doing OK. Everything happens for a reason, and

I know another door will open up for me somewhere down the road. "

News that Linane is retiring came as a shock to many who said he truly is

one of those people who made a difference, especially in his role as a school

resource officer.

Ironically, Linane said when he was first offered the job by former police

Chief Bill Wrenn in 1999, he didn’t want it.

" I really wasn’t interested, " Linane said. " I didn’t even know what a

fifth-grader looked like. "

Linane, who was a patrol officer at the time, changed his mind after going

through the training to become a school resource officer.

And when he finally began his job at the academy, Linane said it became a

job he grew to love.

" It was a tough change, " Linane said. " It was a completely different ball

game because you had to build relationships with the students and gain their

trust. You had to get out of the mentality of working the street and moving on

to the next incident. "

Linane said his role at the school was a lot more than just providing

security and safety for the children, teachers and parents.

" It’s about making a connection with the students, " Linane said. " There is a

lot of things going on in their lives. They are dealing with bullying and

pear pressure. And you have to understand it’s not easy being a kid in

today’s

world. "

Hampton Police Chief Sullivan said Linane’s relationship with the

students was evident just by visiting the school.

" He just had an amazing connection with the kids, " Sullivan said. " His

connection with the kids went far beyond police work and is what the SRO

program

is all about. "

Sullivan recalls he heard stories about how Linane would play kickball with

the students and how he would joke around with them.

To the students, he wasn’t just a police officer, he was their friend,

Sullivan said.

And it was the friendship that made the school safe, according to

Dow, a former guidance counselor at the school.

" Students felt comfortable going up to him, " Dow said. " If a student saw

something unsafe or unhealthy going on, they wouldn’t go to a teacher, they

would go to him. "

Such was the case in 2002, when several students informed Linane that three

other students were selling marijuana in the school. With Linane being in the

school, the Police Department was able to put a stop to it by arresting the

three students.

" He was always going above and beyond, " Dow said. " He treated all students

whether they had learning differences or not the same. And every time they

came away from talking with him, they felt like the most important person in

the

world. "

Linane was the one who brought the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program

to the academy, and started the DARE social, a dance for eighth-graders.

He is also the reason the school now has a wrestling program.

" He went above and beyond his normal duties by starting that program, "

Hampton Academy Principal Fred Muscara said. " And the reason he did that was

because he saw a great value in getting kids involved. "

Linane said one of the secrets to his success with the kids was that he

always made himself available and he tried to be a role model.

" I gave out my cell-phone number and was available 24 hours a day, " Linane

said. " I never turned down a kid who needed help. "

The job also taught him a lot about talking with his own children.

" To be honest with you, I learned more from the kids than they did from me, "

Linane said. " It was a great experience and I made a lot of friendships

along the way. "

He said he is not bitter about what happened to him, and is grateful for all

the support he has received from the town.

" If it took me getting sick to clean up that building for the kids, then I’m

OK with it. "

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