Jesus Cortez This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. The Free Lance - Hollister, California

   www.freelancenews.com/part11.h - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/21/2001   Last Visited: 7/21/2001

   School Resource Officer Jesus Cortez was the arresting officer last week when two Rancho San Justo Middle School students were taken into custody for allegedly making threats against students and school administrators. Cortez did not enjoy his work that day. But as the HPD's School Resource Officer , it's part of his job. Only 24 himself but already a three-year HPD veteran , Cortez maintains an office on the San Benito High School campus and goes to other Hollister schools when requested or when a situation warrants. Every school in town , he said , has his pager number. Some of the other guys make fun of me because I'm at school , he said. They call me ‘Kiddie Cop.' But this job really pays off when you get to make a rapport with kids.. Perhaps because of his young age ( I'm still a kid myself , he said ) , Cortez is well-suited to the role. With officer Paula Muro one of the department's two D.A.R.E. instructors , Cortez recently presided over a D.A.R.E. graduation at R.O. Hardin School.
   ...
   Cortez , who's built like a defensive tackle , couldn't hold back the tears. The kids look up to you. They really do , he said. I've learned that. When you talk to kids , you've got to take them seriously ; you've got to make sure you listen to them and be there to help them out. If you don't , they're going to see right through you.. On campus , Cortez works with the triad concept - he's a law enforcement officer , a counselor and a teacher. Sometimes he wears the police blues ; other times he's more casually dressed. Either way , students know who he is , and many of them talk to him - and more. It got to the point that I was playing Hacky Sack with them , Cortez said. I was out there in my uniform and I could hardly lift my foot because I had all the gear on.. But he's a police officer first , and some students refuse to see past that. I hear ‘oink , ' ‘pig , ' ‘I smell bacon , ' he said. I walked by one kid and he said ‘oink.' I said to him , ‘Do you know me?' He said ‘No , ' and I said , ‘Then why do you say that?' He said , ‘I don't like cops.'. It's the kids who do see the man behind the badge who make the difference. Most of the arrests I've made at the high school are for fights , he said. Some drugs - cocaine , a lot of marijuana , tobacco. Believe it or not , you get the respect of the kids for that. Five days after a suspension , they're like ‘I messed up , I know.'.
   
   Community Policing
   
   The public is often unaware of one of the most important aspects of police work.

2. 2. The Free Lance - Hollister, California

   www.freelancenews.com/part11.h - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/16/2002   Last Visited: 8/16/2002

   School Resource Officer Jesus Cortez was the arresting officer last week when two Rancho San Justo Middle School students were taken into custody for allegedly making threats against students and school administrators. Cortez did not enjoy his work that day. But as the HPD's School Resource Officer, it's part of his job. Only 24 himself but already a three-year HPD veteran, Cortez maintains an office on the San Benito High School campus and goes to other Hollister schools when requested or when a situation warrants. Every school in town, he said, has his pager number. "Some of the other guys make fun of me because I'm at school," he said. "They call me ‘Kiddie Cop.' But this job really pays off when you get to make a rapport with kids." Perhaps because of his young age ("I'm still a kid myself," he said), Cortez is well-suited to the role. With officer Paula Muro one of the department's two D.A.R.E. instructors, Cortez recently presided over a D.A.R.E. graduation at R.O. Hardin School. It was hardly a secret that the fifth-graders revered him. After awards for completing the D.A.R.E. program were presented, the students presented him with a potted tree they'll plant in his honor. Cortez, who's built like a defensive tackle, couldn't hold back the tears. "The kids look up to you. They really do," he said. "I've learned that. "When you talk to kids, you've got to take them seriously; you've got to make sure you listen to them and be there to help them out. If you don't, they're going to see right through you." On campus, Cortez works with the "triad concept" - he's a law enforcement officer, a counselor and a teacher. Sometimes he wears the "police blues;" other times he's more casually dressed. Either way, students know who he is, and many of them talk to him - and more. "It got to the point that I was playing Hacky Sack with them," Cortez said. "I was out there in my uniform and I could hardly lift my foot because I had all the gear on." But he's a police officer first, and some students refuse to see past that. "I hear ‘oink,' ‘pig,' ‘I smell bacon,'" he said. "I walked by one kid and he said ‘oink.' I said to him, ‘Do you know me?' He said ‘No,' and I said, ‘Then why do you say that?' He said, ‘I don't like cops.'" It's the kids who do see the man behind the badge who make the difference. "Most of the arrests I've made at the high school are for fights," he said. "Some drugs - cocaine, a lot of marijuana, tobacco. Believe it or not, you get the respect of the kids for that. Five days after a suspension, they're like ‘I messed up, I know.'"
   
   Community Policing
   
   The public is often unaware of one of the most important aspects of police work.

3. 3. www.register-pajaronian.com

   www.register-pajaronian.com/V2 - [Cached]

   Published on: 5/21/2008   Last Visited: 5/31/2008

   • Watsonville police were dispatched to the scene at 6:50 p.m., but by the time the first officer, Jesus Cortez, arrived, Ramirez had fled the scene.
   ...
   Cortez discovered Armando Guzman staggering on the soccer field, and cared for him until paramedics arrived a couple minutes later.
   ...
   The prosecution then called its first witness, officer Cortez.