Wickenburg High School & Vulture Peak Middle School
Wickenburg, AZ
Congratulations to Officer Joe Lahey, Wickenburg Police Department, for being the 2021 LRE Officer of the Year. Officer Lahey has been serving as a School Resource Officer at Wickenburg High School and Vulture Peak Middle School in Wickenburg, Arizona since 2019. Summers are not off for Officer Lahey as he spends much of the time planning his law related education (LRE) for the coming year. During the summer of 2020, Covid-19 did not change Officer Lahey’s dedication to being prepared. He diligently worked with staff and the Foundation to create relevant online LRE that met his campus needs. Officer Lahey continued to teach daily on a variety of LRE topics such as family conflict, peer mediation, diversity, bullying, and civic responsibilities.
Keeping in contact with his students is very important to this amazing SRO, more so as his school is in rural Arizona and attending online classes is not as easy for every student. Officer Lahey made frequent home visits to bring students needed curriculum and supplies for school and check on the families’ well-being. On campus, Officer Lahey is known for his morning “high-fives”, a personal greeting each student receives as they come on campus in the morning. The many nomination letters that the Foundation received on behalf of Officer Lahey commented on his passion to help each student succeed and pursue their dreams.