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Ariz. SRO, former dance teacher, joins high school’s musical

One police officer is dancing her way into the heart of her community

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By Suzie Ziegler

PEORIA, Ariz. — Officer Beth Griffin has many talents. Aside from her great work as a school resource officer, Griffin is also an avid dancer. Now, she’s using that talent to connect with students through the school musical.

“She showed up at our first dance rehearsal and I was like, ‘Why is Officer Griffin here? Is someone in trouble?’ And then everyone’s like, ‘No she’s joining the show, she’s going to dance with us!’ I was shocked,” high school junior Kenzie Prazak told ABC 15.

Some of the students said they were intimidated – at first

“[Officer Griffin would come up to my lunch table sometimes and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh there’s a police officer at my table,’” said another student.

Griffin was a dance teacher before joining the Peoria Police Department, which impressed her students.

“It was really fun to hear her talk about all the different dance terminology because it’s not something you would expect to hear from her,” said high school junior Corrine Seaver.

Griffin admits that it was challenging to break down those barriers, but now she’s on a roll.

“It was an awesome opportunity to just embrace the school and have a positive interaction with so many kids,” said Griffin. “Knowing that I’m putting these kids out into the community and getting voices that speak positively about law enforcement and what we’re really about and why we’re here, it’s huge, the ripple effect of that could last for decades.”

NEXT: 3 steps to SRO success: How to be a good cop in school

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