LAUREL HILL — Deputy Joe “Joe Mac” McLaughlin may be retiring, but Laurel Hill School hasn’t seen the last of the jovial, well-loved school resource officer.
After an 18-year career at the close-knit kindergarten-through-12th-grade school, McLaughlin wants to return as a youth counselor or mentor to the Hoboes.
“I’ve always felt drawn to try to make a difference in the kids’ lives,” he said. “So many young people don’t have fathers or role models in the house.
“I’ve been here so long with these kids, I’ve seen them grow up. I can see them come in the door and I can tell if something’s wrong. They know they have that confidence that they can talk to me.”
“He’s a permanent fixture here and we’re just glad he’s not leaving us,” Principal Lee Martello said. “We’ll just adopt him in a different role.”
“We’ll still be able to have him use his knowledge and expertise as a community policing role model in the area,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley said. “He’s a good deputy and he’s a good man.”
“I’ve seen generations come through here,” McLaughlin said as he patrolled the halls for the last time Thursday morning, pausing to look at photos of senior classes and smiling as he recalled the faces smiling back at him.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
The sheriff’s office announced that Ruckel Middle School SRO and former environmental officer Deputy David Holt will be Laurel Hill’s new officer, starting Jan. 5.
Holt has worked with both Martello and Assistant Principal Greg Brock at other schools, McLaughlin said.
“He knows the administration,” McLaughlin said. “He can hit the ground running.”
McLaughlin was selected as Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for the 2010-11 year, the first time a school resource officer received the honor.
“I never looked at it as being about me,” McLaughlin said. “What made it really special is it recognized the Youth Services SRO program” at the sheriff’s office.
“I’ve been blessed to share two great families: the sheriff’s office and Laurel Hill School."
As McLaughlin strolled the hallways, students preparing to leave for Christmas vacation ran up to hug him or shake his hand.
“We’re going to miss you!” sophomore Kaylee L’Homme said, giving “Officer Joe,” as he’s known throughout the school, a big hug. “He picks on me every day. I’m going to miss him so much.”
McLaughlin laughed as he explained that “picking on” Kaylee amounted to making sure she’s completed her homework and is studying hard.
'CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF'
McLaughlin said in the months leading up to his retirement, he at first “was like a cat on a hot tin roof. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was all over the map, but I reached out to the Lord and he said, ‘Whoa, just calm down. It’ll work out.’”
Since then, a volunteer position as an in-school mentor has begun to crystallize, much to the delight of McLaughlin and school administrators, who laud his ability to gently guide students in a positive direction.
“I want to make a difference in young peoples’ lives,” McLaughlin said. “That’s so crucial. I’m just not sure exactly what it’s going to be, but I’m sure God’s going to open those doors.
“I’ve been real blessed as an SRO. It was never like going to a job. It’s been very, very special. Along the way, you’re going to have an impact on the child, and you hope it’s in a positive way.”
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Retiring Laurel Hill School resource officer to return as student mentor