Every day, when Green Hope students step into the building, one prominent person stands in the commons to greet students: Chris Crady. By name, students might not know him, but by face, he is one of the most important people at the school. Officer Crady is Green Hope’s resource officer, but there’s more to his story than meets the eye.
Before moving to Cary and working for the police department, Officer Crady worked as a public safety officer in Lexington, Kentucky. Additionally, he had his paramedic license for 17 years. “I finally hit a point where I just wanted to do law enforcement. It was extremely difficult continuing to maintain certifications and training to stay as proficient as I wanted in all three disciplines at one time,” stated Crady. After he moved, he worked on patrol, as all new officers in the department had to do. “An officer must first have at least five years of patrol experience,” explained Crady. From then, he went through an interview process to be selected for the school by the department.
Currently, he serves on the Mobile Field Force Team, which he says is, “Fancy speak for the officers that get dressed up in extra gear and go to riots and incidents where there are large, unruly crowds.” Not only does he support Green Hope in the safety of our school, but the safety of crowds in different events as well. Before then, Crady also worked as a sniper on the Wake Regional SWAT team, providing security and overwatch for special events, arrests, search warrants and high profile individuals. Throughout his variety of work in law enforcement, his experience as Green Hope’s Resource Office remained his favorite. To him, his placement at Green Hope was a blessing in disguise. ”I often speak to other SROs around the county and state and am thankful of the culture and environment that we have here at Green Hope. We are truly lucky to be in such a good school with rockstar staff and students,” said Crady.
After being involved in many life saving techniques, Crady is well-experienced in multiple different fields, but he wouldn’t change his job for anything. “I love being a part of the lives of students and staff each day, and seeing the growth from year to year.” Having a hands-on job such as his includes things people wouldn’t normally recognize. Alongside the incredibly difficult job at hand, he also has truly great advice and a good listening ear. “I would not change my career. I often feel that there are reasons for everything, despite how hard it may be to see at the time. Each road bump and choice we make makes us who we are, and helps us develop as individuals,” expressed Crady.
Officer Crady is always serving not just as Green Hope’s resource officer, but as a friendly face to start the school day, and to end it as well. There is much more to him than the uniform, and his true self deserves recognition. He not only keeps our school safe, but provides a positive atmosphere, making sure students and faculty feel supported throughout the day. The impact he has made, in not only our school, but our community as a whole, will last for many years to come.
