D.A.R.E. to meet Detective Todd Duffy

Last month in the Byram Intermediate School we interviewed our D.A.R.E. officer, Detective Todd Duffy. He told us that he decided to become a police officer when he realized he liked helping people in Brooklyn, where he grew up. This later led to him teaching the D.A.R.E. program to fifth graders at Byram Intermediate School. Detective Duffy attended D.A.R.E. training in 1990 and started teaching D.A.R.E. in January of 1991. He has been around our school for a long time! Here are a few things you may not know about Detective Duffy. His favorite hobbies are golfing, fishing (especially fly fishing), going out to dinner, and working in his yard. He used to play organized baseball for 20 years just for fun. His favorite foods are Italian food and steak, but you can never, ever forget ice cream. Officer Duffy can always be found at our lunchtime walking around with an ice cream sandwich. Detective Duffy graduated from St. John’s University, ironically, with a degree in high school history. So he is actually a certified teacher! Soon after entering the teaching field, Duffy decided to venture into the family business. He became a funeral director in Queens, N.Y., where he helped families in their time of grief. Nevertheless, Officer Duffy never gave up on his dream to become a police officer. He attended the police academy and graduated in June of 1998. Today he is our town’s detective as well as the D.A.R.E. officer. Detective Duffy said, “I enjoy being a detective very, very much. It is extremely rewarding, because I get to help people with their problems and catch people not obeying the law.” Detective Duffy loves teaching D.A.R.E. He has been working in the program for about 17 years. D.A.R.E. is a 12-week program that all fifth graders participate in each year. The program teaches children strategies for coping with peer pressure, the dangers of drugs, and the benefits of a drug-free life. Through group activities children practice new strategies they have learned about to handle their peers in difficult situations. Students will graduate at a D.A.R.E. ceremony on June 5. This will be followed by an exciting D.A.R.E. picnic on June 6. The fifth graders will be treated to a barbecue by the Byram Township Police Department. They will play games and participate in various activities set up by Detective Duffy. When asked what he liked best about working in our school, Duffy commented, “I like teaching Byram students because I hope that when they graduate they will remember something that they have learned in my D.A.R.E class. Hopefully, the program will help them to make good decisions in the future.”