FORT WALTON BEACH — Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Dwayne Vasiloff never stops moving at his new job at Kenwood Elementary School.
He walks the school grounds repeatedly. He pokes his head into classrooms and even stops to read a book or give some advice. He patrols the parking lot, the playground and cafeteria.
Vasiloff is one of 26 deputies placed in Okaloosa elementary schools in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting Dec. 14. Deputies began working at the schools Jan. 7.
“That (deputy’s) job is to make sure that their school is secure and that it fits into the overall school district safety plan,” Sheriff Larry Ashley said. “They have an active role.”
Ashley said the deputies are to make certain that classrooms have escape routes, adequate locks for doors and windows, and other safety devices to help prevent incidents such as the Newtown, Conn., shooting.
Although some may wonder what an armed, trained deputy finds to do for eight hours at an elementary school, Ashley and Vasiloff say there’s plenty of work.
The job description calls for getting to the school at least 30 minutes early, examining the campus and doing a security assessment.
During the day, Vasiloff checks locks, monitors problem children and walks the perimeter of the school nearly every hour.
He arrives at least 45 minutes before school and drives through the Kenwood neighborhood to look for anything out of the ordinary.
He then reports to the school and parks his patrol car out front for all to see. In the mornings, he says he waits by his car watching as parents and buses line the street before school starts.
“How’s it going?” Vasiloff shouts to one man.
He waves to the cars passing by as he watches the traffic flow and the street in front of the school. Rain or shine, Vasiloff does his job.
“That’s why it’s a good idea to have a second uniform and shoes in your car,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what the weather’s like, I have a job to do.”
Once students are tucked away in their classrooms, Vasiloff closes the gate to the school property and locks the cafeteria doors, leaving only the front office entry unlocked for visitors.
“We’re trying to show students that we’re here now, not just when there’s a problem,” he said as a small girl with braids stops abruptly from her walk to say hello. “Hopefully, we can have an impact on them. We have a dual role here. We uphold the law and keep the kids safe, but we’re also here to teach them right from wrong.”
In less than two weeks, Vasiloff has become a superstar. In the noisy cafeteria, students smile and wave their peace signs when they see “Deputy V.”
“I came up with this saying where I hold up my fingers and show them the peace sign, which looks like a V,” the father of two said. “So the saying goes, ‘Deputy V brings the peace.’ ”
No matter where he goes, students give him the “Deputy V” sign, a high five or a big hug.
“They’re starting to know who I am,” he said. “This is really different than what I was doing before, but it’s extremely rewarding. This feels like home.”
Vasiloff, who has worked with the Sheriff‘s Office for eight years and before Jan. 7 worked in booking, says he’s acclimating well to the school environment.
At the end of his first week, he went roller skating with the kids after school.
“It’s not like riding a bike,” he said laughing.
“This is such a rewarding job to have. I’m getting to protect, serve and give back to my community.”
Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow contributed to this report.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.