ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) – Maxx Tumey is a third-grader and soon-to-be fourth-grader at Frank Tillery Elementary in Rogers.
He said when he got to school on Wednesday, he was pleasantly surprised that, for the first time he remembers, there was a Rogers police officer at school.
“Because it’s nice feeling safe at school and not having to be worried about any of that,” says Maxx.
Rogers Police says in light of the tragic shooting in Texas, it had officers and detectives patrolling all of the Roger schools in addition to their normal police duties.
But it wasn’t just Maxx who was pleasantly surprised; his dad says it was also a nice surprise for him at pick up.
“We stopped and asked if he was a police officer. He said yes, he works with the city; we told him thank you, and then Maxx told me he had been running around the school all day checking in on classrooms,” says Brent Tumey.
Brent says he can’t thank the school district and the police department enough for making this a part of their day.
“You know that’s just what we’re looking for, it made me feel at ease. I felt comfortable,” says Brent.
Even though tomorrow is the last day of school at Frank Tillery Elementary, Maxx says he hopes to see his new police officer friend again tomorrow.
“Imagine if somebody came walking in and said get on the ground; imagine if there were just cameras,” says Maxx.