Patrolman Omar Kendall is working to bridge the gap between students and police.
For Patrolman Omar Kendall, working at Palmyra’s schools is not about policing students — it’s about connecting with them.
“I just want those kids to look at me and to say these guys are approachable — not just Officer Kendall but the department as a whole,” Kendall said.
In his role as school resource officer, Kendall has been working daily to do just that — even becoming a “superhero” figure for some of the elementary school students at Charles Street School. Kendall is the borough’s first school resource officer, and for the patrolman, the gig is particularly personal.
A Burlington Township resident, Kendall grew up in Palmyra. He graduated from Palmyra High School and was inducted into the school’s sports hall of fame for his accomplishments in football, basketball and baseball. For Kendall, Palmyra is still home, and when he greets the students while directing traffic patterns in the morning, he is waving to the sons and daughters of his former classmates.
While his role entails overseeing morning drop offs and patrolling the Palmyra schools, he said he wants to bring something more to the position. For that reason, he researches what other school resource officers are doing and tries to generate content that is directly impacting each age group to go into classrooms and present. Kendall is in the classroom between 15 and 20 days some months.
At the elementary school level, Kendall said he often reads books to students and teaches them about “stranger danger.” For them, basic safety is key, and when he learned some of the students did not know their address and phone number, he gave the students homework to learn that information and recite it the next time he pays a visit. Since then, he said he often has students shouting their phone numbers at him eager to prove they took his safety lesson seriously.
“There are parents that do come up to me and say, ‘We hear you’re doing a good job. We’re glad you’re here. You’re a celebrity in our house,’” Kendall said.
Mark Pease, the principal at Charles Street School, echoed Kendall’s celebrity status.
“He is definitely a presence when he walks into our building,” Pease said. “Students can relate to his stature and uniform, and he almost comes in like a superhero.”
An officer with Palmyra’s force for 17 years, Kendall brings not only his experience policing but his experience parenting, and it is a combination of both roles that guides his approach. He said having two school-aged children taught him about the troubles students growing up in today’s digital age face, and so he teaches the fifth and sixth graders to use social media responsibly. From the dangers of sexting to the consequences of cyberbullying, Kendall said he spent time teaching students that social media, while fun, can also have serious consequences.
For the high school juniors and seniors, his goal was to educate students on the harmful effects of opiate use. Between student athletes getting prescribed painkillers after an injury to the medicines in students’ medicine cabinets at home, Kendall’s goal is to make students aware of the addictive quality of these medications.
Kendall said his relationship with the elementary school students has been overwhelmingly positive from the beginning. He said the kids are excited to see him whenever he pays a visit. However, his relationship with the older students took a little more time. He said initially many of the high school students thought he was brought on to get them in trouble, and it took a little while for them to see he was there to be a resource for students.
Since frequenting the classrooms, Kendall said he has had students come to his office at the high school seeking his counsel on subjects ranging from social media dilemmas to abusive relationships.
Pease said Kendall’s work is a tremendous benefit to the community — not only with the content he is bringing into the classrooms but the good will he is fostering.
“He is building relationships at a very early age, and that is definitely going to have huge dividends as the students get older,” Pease said.
Kendall said having these students warm up to him and reach out makes him feel like his work serves a real purpose.
“You change one life, and it’s worth it,” Kendall said.
