Harwich Native Tom Clarke Making Impact As School Resource Officer

Visit the Monomoy Regional High School campus for a sporting event, concert or school function and you might run into Tom Clarke, Monomoy’s school resource officer. 

 Clarke has been a friendly and familiar face around the school’s campus since 2012, when he took over as the SRO for Harwich High, Harwich Middle and Harwich Elementary schools.

A Harwich native who first joined the police department as a patrol officer in 2000, Clarke appreciates the opportunity to spend his day interacting with students and forming bonds within the school community. 

“Keeping the school a safe learning environment is the most important thing,” Clarke said. “I didn’t become an SRO to write tickets and make arrests, I care about these kids and I’m here to help them in any way I can.”

Although Clarke travels in a police cruiser and wears his uniform on campus, he isn’t hiding in stairwells and around corners looking for unsuspecting students getting into mischief. Instead, he views his role as an opportunity to provide students with a friendly, reliable and helpful connection with local law enforcement.

“It’s a great opportunity to be a role model for these kids and have a positive impact on their lives,” he said. “It’s kind of like being a life coach; I talk to these kids about character and integrity and always trying to do the right thing. Helping to keep kids safe and on the path is rewarding, and the biggest thing is building relationships and trust with the kids.”

In 2020, Clarke launched a K9 program with his new companion, Fritz, who is trained to detect vaping products that contain THC and nicotine, marijuana and THC edibles in addition to being trained and certified in tracking missing or endangered people and unarmed criminals. 

“He’s like the de facto mascot,” Clarke said of Fritz. “He’s super friendly and approachable, and it kind of breaks the ice with some students who might not approach a police officer. Everyone can relate to a dog, so they’ll approach me and talk about their dog or pets at home. 

“A lot of times, if they are talking about a difficult situation that might require law enforcement intervention, it’s a lot easier for them to tell their story when they are sitting there patting Fritz.”

Clarke was a three-sport athlete and 1992 graduate of Harwich High. He played goalkeeper for the soccer team, was a part of back-to-back trips to the Boston Garden with the basketball squad and played baseball in the spring. 

His son Noah, who is currently a junior at Bridgewater State University, was a star athlete at Nauset, and his daughter Sam, a junior at Monomoy, is a key piece of the Sharks’ defending state runner-up field hockey squad. 

Although the world has changed a lot since his own high school experience, Clarke said the local students have mostly remained the same over the years. 

“I feel like the kids are pretty much the same, they are all great kids for the most part,” he said. “Maybe the expectations and parenting are a little different these days, and obviously the social media and cell phone use is a real priority and constant presence in their lives.”

Whether he is attending an after-school program or event or interacting with students inside the schools, Clarke wants them to view law enforcement as trustworthy confidants they can approach in times of need. 

“Sometimes a kid’s image of a police officer is scary and intimidating,” Clarke said. “We want to show them we’re another trusted adult and a part of the school community and team. We care for them and we’re here to help support them.”

Clarke’s work is making a difference around the school communities, and Monomoy principal Jennifer Police said he is an integral part of the school.

“Tommy is part of the fabric of our school,” Police said. “He is committed to the values and beliefs of school resource officers, most importantly building relationships with students and the community to create a positive school climate. He is extraordinary.”