County DARE Officer Honored

Tony Ciriello, a deputy with the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, received the DARE Officer of the Year Award from the Indiana DARE Officer's Association. It is the highest honor the association gives out.

"The credit for this award, I feel, goes to the people that nominated me," said Ciriello. "If it wasn't for them this wouldn't have been possible."

Those people, the fifth-grade teachers at North Webster Elementary, feel strongly about what Ciriello does. They sent a recommendation to the Indiana DARE Officers' Association.

It didn't take long for the teachers to think up reasons for Ciriello's nomination, said Mitch Willaman, one of the teachers at North Webster Elementary. They brainstormed for about 15 or 20 minutes for reasons Ciriello should be selected.

"We really had a pretty good feeling that he would get it," said Willaman. He said that Ciriello's record impressed the group.

"He just goes way above and beyond what any DARE officer we have known has done," said Willaman.

The elementary school teacher said that Ciriello is good in the classroom. "But more than that he is at their basketball games, he is at their music programs," said Willaman. "Wherever they are involved, he is there for them."

"We feel that the award has been a very positive thing for him. Tony has been our only DARE officer and he has done a tremendous job," said Sheriff Al Roventine.

Ciriello began as DARE officer four years ago when the program was initiated at the sheriff's department.

It is his work since then that has led to his nomination and the award.

Officers are nominated to the executive board of the state association. The executive board goes through all of the nominations sent in and then makes a determination.

Ciriello has been on the executive board since September 1996. Once he found out he was nominated, Ciriello said he abstained from consideration of the applications for the award.

With this award, Ciriello will represent the IDOA at the national conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and gets to carry the state flag in the opening ceremonies.

Ciriello enjoys working with area students even though he's never really off duty.

"I probably get 10 letters a week from former students and current," said Ciriello. "I've gotten calls from them saying that they have a problem that they need to talk about or need help with."

Ciriello remembers many incidents when he has received requests for aid from area youth. He has worked more than once with school officials, families and kids to help them out of bad situations.

But the job has its rewards.

"I walk into a school and I get hugs from kids from the sixth grade down to the first," said Ciriello. "It is a very rewarding experience."