Photo by Lexi Coon.
Officer Richard Knecht, center left, shows off the shirts he created for MBHS seniors this year with (l-r) Suzan Doidge, Molly Wallace and Rep. David Faulkner. The shirts, which were designed to raise awareness about drinking and driving, will be given to seniors for free on May 10.
Mountain Brook’s school resource officers like to be involved with and approachable to their students, and it’s something they’ve been working on. SRO Richard Knecht said he avoids interrupting classes, but sometimes, he’s able to work with younger kids on an art project or two.
“As a school resource officer, I could just sit in my office all day, just waiting for something to happen,” he said. “The police department, the school resource officers, are really trying to take it to the next level with the kids and get to know everybody.”
Knecht — who said he has “the best job in the Police Department” — wanted to do something for the older students he sees daily, too, and decided to raise awareness about drinking and driving after prom by giving the seniors t-shirts with the slogan “Don’t let this be your last dance.”
The shirts have the school’s crest on the front — which Knecht said was difficult to get for the shirts — and have a cartoon to depict the concept “don’t drink and drive” on the back along with the list of sponsors for the shirts.
He thought of the idea as a way to connect with the kids and address the dangers of drunk driving, especially at a young age, and approached Mountain Brook High School principal Amanda Hood, the Student Government Association president at the high school and Police Chief Ted Cook.
He said the idea was well received by all, including Rep. David Faulkner (R-46), who was one of the first supporters.
“I was so inspired by it that I immediately jumped at the opportunity to support him,” Faulkner said. “To have an officer, one of the student resource officers, who loves the kids, takes care of our kids, to come up and take this kind of initiative to show kids [not to drink and drive] at their prom and want to give the shirts away to them for free was really inspirational to me. And to have it come from a student resource officer, it meant even more.”
Knecht wanted to give the shirts to the seniors for free — because “You can’t beat free” — and approached Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce Suzan Doidge about funding the project. He said Doidge immediately began helping him work with local businesses as sponsors.
Within one day, the project was funded, and Knecht had to ask the chamber to put a hold on additional donations.
“I was getting money in every direction, and I think that goes to the city of Mountain Brook,” he said. “That goes to how everybody in this town is up for anything positive that has to do with the kids.”
Knecht said the shirts were produced by The Pants Store, and any funds left over from the project will be put back into the school system.
The seniors will be given their shirts on May 10 when they are picking up their caps and gowns for graduation. Knecht said there is no requirement to wear the shirt at specific events or that day; it’s just to raise awareness about drinking and driving.
He hopes this becomes an annual event for each senior class in the future, too.
“If you save one kids from doing it [drinking and driving], who might have three or four passengers in the car, look at what we’ve done,” Knecht said.
