'Officer Liz' Prepares to Say So Long

As a student growing up in Ledyard, D.A.R.E. Officer Liz Smith didn’t plan on becoming a police officer, but she knew whatever she did, she wanted to do it here. “As a kid I always knew I wanted to do something in my town” she said, glancing around her office, the walls covered with drawings from kids and other D.A.R.E. memorabilia.

After 25 years on the Ledyard police force – 15 as the department’s D.A.R.E. officer – Smith is retiring. “Officer Liz,” as she is affectionately known throughout the school system, has graduated approximately 3,400 fifth graders from the program during her career.

A graduate of the University of Bridgeport with a degree in Art Advertising, Smith immediately went to work in an office and hated it. “It was not for me” she says. “I need to see the sun, and I wanted something more exciting.”

While working as Director of Security at the Crystal Mall, Smith began taking training classes at night to become a police officer. After a short time working as a part-time officer for the East Lyme Police Department, Smith heard about an opening on the Ledyard force. And the rest, as they say, is history.

While talking with Smith about her years as a Ledyard police officer, it is clear that her years as a D.A.R.E. officer have been the most important to her. “The schools are like my second family – along with my actual family and the police force,” she said. “I’ve loved my time with them. We have great kids, great families and wonderful people in the schools in this town.”

There is no doubt that Officer Liz’s impact on the kids has been great as well. Approachable and friendly, Smith taught kids the facts about the dangers of drug use, and gave them tools to combat the peer pressure they all will eventually face.

Being a hometown girl has its advantages as well. “If I see a kid acting up,” Smith laughs, “I can take my cell phone out and say, ‘Don’t make me call your mother!’”

In an age where every budget dollar is counted, and D.A.R.E. has come under some criticism, Smith is an example of what the program should be. There is no doubt she has had a positive influence on many Ledyard kids.  The most rewarding moments have come when she runs into former students that have had problems and have grown up to overcome them.

Smith recently ran into one such student that she had mentored in the middle school and is now a very promising 17-year-old. When she told him she was planning on retiring he said, “You can’t retire Officer Liz! You were the only one who could calm me down and keep me focused in middle school.”

Asked about the difficulty of working with kids in middle school, and having to sometimes arrest kids that she knows, Smith said, “No matter what, they are still kids and you can’t ever forget that.” She added that the most upsetting part of the job by far “has been the kids we have lost over the years to accident or illness.” In fact, she keeps the photos of some of these kids hanging in her office.

Smith believes that the rate of drug use in town has stayed pretty consistent, but that the availability of drugs is getting increasingly scary. She points out that marijuana is 40-60% more potent than it was 30 years ago, and that prescription drugs and the drugs that are being made in labs are potentially even more harmful.

Asked about the recent change in laws regarding marijuana, Smith says that she understands the thinking behind it. That with funds being limited there is a need to focus on other drugs, but she thinks that it sends the wrong message to kids. “Marijuana is still illegal, and it still can cause serious problems for kids,” she said.

As for the future of D.A.R.E. in Ledyard, Troy Johnson has received the DARE training and is slated to be the next instructor.  Officer Liz’s last day with the Ledyard Police department will be Nov. 30.

A self-described “adrenaline junkie,” she has accepted an offer from Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London. “My mom wonders why I can’t just be an artist,” laughs Smith, “but I need the excitement.”

After watching Officer Liz pack up her office and listening to her reminisce about her favorite moments with the Ledyard Police Department, there is little doubt that she will miss her years spent with the youth of Ledyard, almost as much as they are going to miss her.