Crossing Guards: Keeping Everyone Safe
As parents and children prepare for the new school year to begin, there is a list of essential things to be bought. A new school bag, clothes, pens, pencils, books... all the things needed to start off a safe, fun and successful school year. Getting the kids up in the morning, fed, dressed and ready for the day, a kiss and a hug at the front door and they are off!
Along the way, they are under the watchful eye of our town crossing guards, who are dedicated to assuring the safety of their morning and afternoon walks to and from school. They are easy to spot wearing their reflective vests, holding big red STOP signs in hand, smiles and greetings to Oakland's treasures - our children.
Let me tell you a little something about these dedicated individuals! Many of Oakland's 15 part-time permanent crossing guards are retired Oakland senior citizens. There are also a few alternate crossing guards who fill in as needed. They serve the community September through June ensuring the safety and well being of our children on their journey each day. They are posted throughout the community stationed at our three elementary schools and high school and along the routes our children take daily. One of our alternate crossing guards is a gentleman by the name of William Sisti.
I sat down to interview Bill early one morning before work. He was gracious enough to meet me at Dunkin Donuts so we could chat for a few minutes, and I could get my coffee fix before heading off to a full day of work. I started our interview how I start almost every interview, by asking how long he has lived in Oakland. “I have lived in Oakland since the early 90’s but the house that I live in has been in our family since the early 60’s!” I learned that before Bill retired, he was the Store Manager/Buyer for an off-price brick and mortar retail store. He decided to retire in 2011. Since his retirement, Bill has become the Jack of all trades, by working once a week at a local florist, working part time for a company that changes advertising signs in store windows and of course being an alternate crossing guard. So much for retirement, Bill!
Bill has been a crossing guard in Oakland for the past 7 years and he loves it. He doesn’t have a steady spot and goes wherever he is needed most or fills in at the last minute for a crossing guard that can’t do their regular spot. He even shows up on demand if Officer Albert needs him at the last minute. He does anywhere from 3 to 10 shifts per month. Bill went on to tell me that each post is a bit different. Some posts are slower and don’t have as much foot traffic whereas other posts are very busy, and the crossing guards need to stay hyper vigilant and alert. When I asked him which post he liked the best, he replied with, “Elementary children are fun because they look up to you and they also really connect with their regular crossing guard. The children get to know us by name and the parents and children are very appreciative of us.”
I asked Bill if there have ever been any scary situations that he could recall in the 7 years he has been doing this. Luckily, he couldn’t recall any scary moments, but he did say that it is sometimes frustrating when the children (and parents) are on their phones, and they aren’t paying attention. Especially at busy intersections.
Bill said that once you get hired as a crossing guard, you “buddy up” with a more seasoned crossing guard to learn the ropes. He went on to say how important it is for all the crossing guards to do the same thing and stay consistent. They try to time crossings with the traffic lights, if possible, so they are not holding up traffic anymore than they need to. He even laughed and said that crossing guard training would be great for every motorist to take because it is useful. I asked if just anyone can take the training, but he quickly laughed and said “I don’t think so, but it would be nice!”
I ended our conversation by asking who makes the decision on which spots have crossing guards. Bill said that the Police Department, the town and the school boards review all the routes and make that decision together. Thank you to all the crossing guards that help protect our children!
Officer Steve Albert, a former Marine, is the Police Department's head of Traffic Bureau and crossing guard liaison. Officer Albert and wife, Elizabeth, are the proud parents of a mixed breed rescue dog named Bobbi. Officer Albert found Bobbi on the streets in Hoboken where he served as a police officer for 7 years prior to joining the Oakland Police Department 3 years ago. In his capacity, he proctors a 2 hour in- house NJ state required course for the crossing guards, ensures all equipment, uniforms, schedules and training are up to date. He, his wife and Bobbi hope to move to Oakland in the near future.
Officer Albert expressed the importance of maintaining a full compliment of crossing guards to secure the safety of Oakland's students. If you would like to consider becoming a crossing guard (even just an alternate) please contact Officer Albert at 201-337-6171, ext 1013 or at salbert@oaklandpolice.us.