New Resource Officer comes with positive attitude

Brian Gryzboski, deputy sheriff of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s office, has taken over the role of school resource officer at Big Spring High School.

“I want everyone here at Big Spring to know they can come to me for anything. I’m not here to throw the book at you, so to speak- I want to make a positive impact here in the community.” Gryzboski said. “If any of you have any problems, concerns, or questions, my door is always open here. Feel free to come in and talk to me if there are events or anything you want the resource officer to be present at and I can maybe make that happen.”

Gryzboski grew up in the Mechanicsburg area. He attended St. Joseph school from grades 1-8 then attended Trinity High School for grades 9-12.

He graduated from Harrisburg Area Community College with an associates degree in Police Science. His original major was Physical Education, and he was planning on attending Lockhaven in the fall of 2008. However, that summer, he got a job as a community service officer at the Mechanicsburg Borough Police Department. While he was there getting to know the officers, it got him thinking that PE wasn’t what he wanted to do.

As a community service officer, Gryzboski was able to assist other officers at minor calls. Calls that wouldn’t put his own life in danger, since he didn’t have a vest, gun, taser, or the other normal stuff a police officer has. “I did minor things, like parking tickets, making sure nobody was vandalizing the parks, assisting auto accidents and clearing debris on road, taking care of lost and found property complaints, making phone calls and doing the following up so the other officers could go help out in the big things.”

Before working as a resource officer here at Big Spring, he worked as a campus officer at Franklin Marshall College in Lancaster for a little under a year. The main causes of his switch was due to better hours and being closer to home. As a deputy sheriff, he works 40 hours a week, and as a resource officer he works at the school Monday through Friday from around 7 am to about 3 pm. However, that can change if any events or meetings pop up.

As a resource officer, Gryzboski hasn’t encountered much yet, as he’s only been in the school for about three weeks. He’s still walking the halls and getting to know the buildings. Gryzboski is in the entire school district, not just the high school; he’s in the elementary schools and middle schools, too. However, he is checking the windows and doors, making sure everything is secure.

Gryzboski has more responsibilities as a deputy sheriff. He’s mainly in the court system, providing prisoner transport to and from county facilities to the courthouse daily. He assists local law enforcement agencies throughout the county if they have special events or just need backup. Deputy sheriffs can also make traffic stops and serve paperwork such as warrants and writs.

There are many positives and negatives to these jobs. “Dealing with the community is great. The highlight has to be meeting all the new people- that never gets old.” Gryzboski said. However, dealing with criminals every day is not something that most people enjoy. “Death threats against my family and I aren’t fun.” Gryzboski said. “The negativity throughout the media of how they’re portraying law enforcement is a burden on all of us across the country. I hope here at Big Spring I can make a big impact showing that law enforcement isn’t all that bad and there’s a lot of great officers out there willing to put their lives on the line for all of you here at Big Spring and other schools and communities across the nation.”

Gryzboski has been a part of many intense situations as a deputy sheriff. Many situations include getting in between two parties fighting, domestics, and people wanting to cause harm. “Thankfully, I make it home to my family every night, which is the important thing.” Gryzboski said.