John Cawley is a determined police officer at Grant Community High School whose duty is to provide for the safety of students. He goes the extra mile to understand the kinds of kids and administration at Grant and make sure they are safe. However, Officer Cawley is more than just an officer, he’s also a family man and a coach for his son’s basketball team.. Cawley says, “I played basketball my whole life, up until college, and then I realized I wasn’t going to the NBA. I never knew I wasn’t going to the NBA and I wasn’t going to get any Division One scholarships, so I just started working and got my Associates.” 

Growing up, his family members were into law and police work– both his parents were police officers, so he gained experience from watching his parents work. Despite his original intentions of becoming a NBA player, he instead became  a determined passionate police officer and has grown to value his time watching over the school with care and compassion. He is very serious about his career and works hard every day to make the school a better place.

John Cawley goes into classrooms and gives presentations about why he’s present in the building and how to properly talk to a police officer, even if they seem intimidating, “I give a presentation to freshman kids every year in their teams. I guess it’s not well known that I do that. It’s not required.” Cawley says. “I do it to make everyone know why I’m here and for support and protection.” The care he has for his career and the values of teaching students how to treat police, and that they aren’t as scary as they seem, is very important to him. He makes it clear that anyone can talk to him if they need help, and tries to be a comforting presence in the school. He has much empathy for all the kids and administrators and is always open for students to come and talk to him.