Crossing Guard Honored For Finding Knife
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami.com) – A crossing guard's job is to keep the kids safe from cars; but one crossing guard went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure the kids he was responsible for were safe.
Crossing Guard Rodel Dolce was working on his job outside the Natural Bridge Elementary School in May when he noticed a boy waiting to cross the street with a shiny object protruding from the waistband of his pants, according to Miami-Dade Police.
Police said that Dolce reached and removed a knife from the kid's waistband and then began to question the youth.
The student couldn't convince Dolce that other kids were not in danger and Dolce held on to the knife and sent the kid on to school.
"He said 'My grandpa gave me the knife,'' Dolce said. "And I said, don't be lying."
The next day, school administration worked with Dolce to identify the student and the child confessed and the school took action against the student.
"We were able to make a positive ID of the student and nail him," said former principal Janice Huston. "And thanks to help from his mother, we were able to transfer him to another school."
As a result of his actions, Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus presented Dolce with the department's Bronze Medal of Valor and the Distinguished Civilian Employee of the Month for October 2011.
"This crossing guard really performed a public service and this stopped a potentially tragic situation," said Miami-Dade Police Detective Javier Baez.
The current principal at Natural Bridge Elementary, Frank Macbridge, summed up his feelings about Dolce.
"Having him as a crossing guard is something very special," Macbridge said.
Dolce has four kids of his own which may have helped him to be so attentive to what the kids are doing.
He's been on the job for three years and said it's a job he's proud to carry out.
