Introducing Officer Jim Labeau, the newest addition to our school community and the vigilant guardian of the students’ well-being. With a background steeped in community policing. He started off his police career in Hazel Park and spent a few months there and then came to Grosse Pointe Farms and has been here just under 10 years. And a commitment to fostering a secure and inclusive environment, Officer Labeau brings a fresh perspective to his role as the school resource officer.
“Safety is my number one goal, and my second goal would be everyone to be just comfortable with me, and I know police officers can be intimidating for people but I don’t want anyone that’s a student or a staff member to be intimidated by my presence, I want them to be able to come up to me and talk to me about anything and every time they see me, I want them to know they are safe coming to school or going to work.” said Labeau.
A seasoned police officer with a passion for forming positive connections, he stands at the forefront of collective safety, ready to implement innovative strategies to enhance the overall educational experience. From conducting routine patrols to collaborating with school administrators on emergency plans he plays a major role ensuring the safety of others and will do his job to make sure everyone feels safe.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure the safety of how many kids are, you guy’s safety is my number one concern, and will do anything to keep everyone safe,” said Labeau.
Beyond the walls of classrooms and hallways, Officer Labeau extends his influence to the school community. One of his goals is wanting to start some after school programs, volunteer programs, meetings and everything that goes over safety measures that he sees that fits here.
“Parents and students, you’re gonna see me outside, I’ll have a smile on my face, giving fist bumps, high fives, and whatever. And during school hours I’m gonna be walking around. I’m going to be very active and students are going to see me all over the place. South High school is massive compared to the school I went to, so I need to know every walking square foot that way if something happens, I know exactly where I’m going.” said Labeau.
Growing up Officer Labeau didn’t actually want to be a police officer at all. He wanted to be a teacher. At his high school he had a really good school resource officer. Labeau states he was awesome and he was so close to all the students and everyone.
“Everyone trusted him and me and him have similar traits. I can tell now that I’m older, so I want to bring my personality, kind of my ideology into the school. And so I think this job is a perfect fit for me”, said Labeau.
Officer Labeu will not start until next year but is excited to work the job not just for the safety of the students, but for a more social work aspect. He is looking forward to being a part of a staff , whether a counselor or mentor or anything and wants students to come to him. “ If a student has an outside problem going on, even if its not even police related, I want the student to be able to come to me about anything. I want to show everyone my personality and show I’m kind of a goofball so I’m easy to talk to so people shouldn’t be intimidated by me.”, said Labeau.
