I am not sure how to post this artilce this way this or what-not...But it has been a year till this day... It has been hard, but... I've been though things... I supoose Just reply to article...
Again... I am sure you are all going through personel things... Guess this is mine even if it happened a yar ago...
Night...
Officer’s death hits schools, colleagues
Christina Lent - 07/22/04
Service is Friday for ‘Officer Dan’ who was popular with students
Police Officer Dan Bortolin will be remembered for his dedication and devotion to Beaverton’s youngest citizens.
The beloved school resource officer died of natural causes Tuesday afternoon at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center surrounded by his family. He was 53.
“Tonight we lost a brother, we lost a friend, we lost somebody who was very much loved by the community because of his dedication to the children,” said Police Chief David G. Bishop Tuesday evening after a prayer service held in City Hall.
“Dan Bortolin’s legacy will be the young people’s lives he’s touched,” Bishop added. “When it came to children, Dan was always there for them.
“He made a difference in so many people’s lives. We will probably never know exactly how many.”
Bortolin is survived by his wife Ellyn; daughters Victoria, Reina and Danelle; and son Anthony.
Bortolin was Beaverton’s first Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer. He served in that role for nearly 10 years before the department switched gears three years ago to its school resource officer program.
“I think Dan was born to be a school resource officer,” said Sgt. Robert Davis, Bortolin’s supervisor, in an interview last October. “He has such a great rapport with kids and is so concerned with their welfare and the way they are growing up in every aspect of their lives.
“He’s concerned about their home life and how they are maturing and becoming young adults. Working with kids is his specialty.”
Randy Kayfes, safety and security specialist for the Beaverton School District, agreed.
“He meant everything to the kiddos and everyone here,” Kayfes said. “He served with integrity, honesty and fairness. He was a fun guy who was just great to be around.
“We could always count on him to do the work that others would shy away from. He was always ready and raring to go.”
To students, staff and parents, Bortolin was known as Officer Dan.
He was most recently assigned to Jesuit High, Valley Catholic, Highland Park Middle, St. Mary Grade School, St. Cecilia School, Vose Elementary, Chehalem Elementary and Cooper Mountain Elementary.
“Officer Dan plays such an integral part with these kids — they just love him to death,” said Tammy Hartley, principal’s secretary at Vose Elementary. “He would always go out of his way for our kids. His heart is as big as the man.”
“He’s been a personal part of our lives for a long time,” added Jeff Hays, student supervisor at Vose, who has known Bortolin for 14 years. “I can’t even begin to tell you what he has meant to this school.”
“Officer Dan Bortolin provided a presence in our schools of safety and access for our students and our staff,” said Maureen Wheeler, spokeswoman for the school district’s community involvement office. “He cared very much for his job and he will be missed.”
During his nearly 23 years with the Beaverton Police Department, Bortolin has served as a field-training officer, community education officer, member of the Mobile Response Team and as a patrol officer.
Before joining Beaverton’s law enforcement team he served 9½ years with the Newark Police Department in California as a traffic officer and detective.
Bortolin was proud to be a police officer and serve this community.
In an October interview, Bortolin shared his thoughts about police work, his family and the local students that meant so much to him.
“Being a cop is definitely what I was meant to be,” Bortolin said. “It’s the reason I’m on this earth.”
He said he was fortunate to have a family that supported his career. Bortolin could often be seen walking the hallways of local schools, teaching in classrooms, talking with students and attending afterschool and weekend student activities.
“To tell the truth, I go to student activities to be there for my kids in the community,” Bortolin said. “I want them to see I’m there and be able to say, ‘There’s a policeman I know.’ I want to be one of the grownups they see every day who cares about them.”
Bortolin was also dedicated to combating negative perceptions of police officers.
“It’s important to me that these kids see police officers as more than the images they are bombarded with every day in cartoons, movies, TV shows or in the news,” he said. “Sometimes those images may be incorrect, not flattering or very unprofessional.
“I want to provide them with a balance to those images and let them know that police officers are just like their moms and dads. To do that, I show the kids that I’m interested in them and willing to stop what I’m doing to talk with them, listen to them and check in on them.”
Bortolin’s job gave him the opportunity to devote time to helping troubled students. He was known to make house calls and provide families with links to needed resources and information.
“Being a school officer is the best example of community policing,” Bortolin said with pride. “This is community policing at its heart.”
The best part of his job he said was, “Seeing my buddies here, my kids, and being a part of their lives. I love seeing their smiling faces, their waves and getting those high-fives. When I’m long gone, I know people will remember me.”
Friends took comfort in fond memories of Bortolin on Wednesday.
“Dan would come in a couple times each week in the morning and visit kids eating breakfast in the cafeteria,” recalled Jeff Hays. “Our school has an area where the kids can color and play chess.
“He would sit and color with the kids and they would just flock around him. He’d draw pictures of himself with a big nose and show them how to draw things. They just loved him.”
That love was apparent during one of many student assemblies where Officer Dan was introduced.
“I was at an assembly with Gov. Barbara Roberts, the state attorney general and Dan,” Chief Bishop remembered. “As we were all introduced — the governor, attorney general and the chief of police — we received polite applause. But when they introduced Officer Dan, the room just shook.
“The governor said she hoped she never had to run against him because she would lose for sure with the young people.”
Others remembered Bortolin was someone they could always count on.
“Officer Dan Bortolin was our school resource officer and he was a wonderful resource for us,” said Sister Rita Watkins, coordinator of ministries for the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. “He was always ready to assist if we needed help or advice. He joined us for many of our activities.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, his friends and his colleagues in the Beaverton Police Department.”
