{"264451":{"#nid":"264451","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Act of Friendliness Led to Career as Officer","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s one thing that Randy Barrone has been hassling his three sons about since they were teenagers \u2014 what do they want to do for a living?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI always knew what I wanted to do,\u201d said the Georgia Tech Police Department captain. \u201cSo I couldn\u2019t understand why they didn\u2019t know.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen Barrone was a kid, he noticed that when people heard police sirens, they would straighten up. He also took notice of how sharp officers looked in their uniforms. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne day, an officer took the time to come over and say \u2018hello\u2019 to me, and that made a huge impression,\u201d Barrone said. \u201cAfter that interaction, I knew that being a police officer is what I wanted to do \u2014 I couldn\u2019t wait to be a superhero.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe got his start after joining the army\u2019s delayed entry program at age 17, where he worked as a military policeman for four years. Just before his initial commitment was to end, Barrone met his wife and decided to exit the military for civilian life. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe accepted a position at Tech and was promoted to sergeant after a year at the Institute. After moving through a variety of positions, more than 20 years later, Barrone is still happy to call Georgia Tech home. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s the community at Tech that keeps me here,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019ve just never had any reason to leave.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had a chance to learn more about Barrone and his time at the Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are a few things you want people to know about your job?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFirst, we have to do a lot of annual required training including updates on laws and protocol, firearms and use of force, and CPR and AED use. Also, we are sworn and certified police officers, just like those who would work for a city or a county. (We work for the state under the Board of Regents.)\u0026nbsp; We have all had to go through training at the police academy and have to complete a minimum of 20 hours of training each year. (You lose your arrest powers if you don\u2019t get the training.) Finally, we value feedback, so if you have comments to share \u2014 good or bad \u2014 don\u2019t be afraid to let us know.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is a day in your job like?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese days, I participate in meetings, and I work in the office a good bit. I oversee crime prevention, training, physical security, and records and asset management. The only challenge with this is that when you\u2019re in a management position in an office, you sometimes forget what it\u2019s like to be on patrol. So, I try to really listen to what officers who are on patrol are telling me about their experiences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAre you a fan of social media \u2014 which type?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EI\u2019m a Facebook person. I love being able to see all of the pictures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat piece of technology could you not live without?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EMy Droid phone. It has everything on it that I could need.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your favorite part of campus? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe top of Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center\u2019s parking deck in Tech Square. Up there, you can see and hear the city in a way that you can\u2019t in other spots.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat professional accomplishment are you most proud of?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EI earned a master\u2019s degree in social science from Mercer University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to have lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EThe McDonald\u2019s on Hemphill because the people watching is great. I\u2019ll order a cheeseburger and fries and just watch the characters that come through.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something unique about yourself. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI\u2019ve taught stress management. As part of my ongoing continuing education to be a police officer, I was given the opportunity to become a certified instructor at the police academy. So, I attended a two-week school, which involved having to present a lesson \u2014 and I focused mine on stress management. The next thing I knew, I was asked to actually do the same training for the police academy.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s one thing that Randy Barrone has been hassling his three sons about since they were teenagers \u2014 what do they want to do for a living?\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"There\u2019s one thing that Randy Barrone has been hassling his three sons about since they were teenagers \u2014 what do they want to do for a living?"}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2014-01-06 15:55:58","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:36","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-01-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-01-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"264271":{"id":"264271","type":"image","title":"Randy Barrone","body":null,"created":"1449244014","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:46:54","changed":"1475894950","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:10","alt":"Randy Barrone","file":{"fid":"198462","name":"14c10300-p7-011.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10300-p7-011_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10300-p7-011_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5441610,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/14c10300-p7-011_0.jpg?itok=IeKG01N1"}}},"media_ids":["264271"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"3390","name":"Georgia Tech Police Department"},{"id":"82951","name":"Randy Barrone"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}