Street Beat: Meet Officer Bailey - Providing Security, and a Smile
Sylvie Goldner, ‘21
October 2019
It takes a very special person to wake up at 5 am everyday, support the Giants during a losing streak, support a sibling with special needs, all while cheerily greeting each BHSEC student who sleepily walks into school each morning. This admirable individual is Officer Bailey. Officer Bailey is BHSEC’s school safety agent who can be found throughout our school day in front of the auditorium wearing a glowing blue shirt, a pair of black pants -- all with a large smile. While Officer Bailey has to be incredibly brave to make sure that BHSEC students are safe in their classrooms, he is also the kindest person I have ever met.
Officer Bailey grew up in the Bronx and lives there today, right next to Yonkers. Although he does not have kids, he has a rottweiler named Milo who is turning ten in a few months: “Milo is a very good dog. People get scared when I’m walking down the street with him because he is a big dog but there is no need to worry,” Bailey remarked. Officer Bailey also has a close relationship with his mother and brother Brian who live nearby, which works out perfectly for Bailey because there is nothing he loves more than his mother’s food: “I’m a picky eater and I’m learning how to cook. But pretty much anytime my mom gives me a call I run over with an empty plate and she serves me whatever she’s got, because whatever she makes is the best. She likes Spanish food which is her background. She is Dominican and Puerto Rican and my father is from Barbados.” Bailey’s diverse background does not end with his parents and the food he loves, but extends to his wide-ranging music taste. “I am a music connoisseur. I love music. Music is everything. Any type of music I listen to it, I’m all ears. I’m really into jazz right now, but I'm also into everything.” Officer Bailey lives through music. He embraces the emotion and beauty of music as much as possible -- when he’s off-duty you may spot him with earbuds enjoying a song!
Before he came to Bard, Officer Bailey was working at another high school, one that was much larger. “Before I came to Bard I was also doing school safety at Washington Irving. At first it was a tough change to come to Bard as BHSEC students are much less active.” When I asked Bailey what he specifically thought of Bard kids he shared, “Bard students are good kids. I have nothing bad to say. They are kids being kids and they are not kids trying or exploring to be bad.”
When Officer Bailey is not at work he likes to play videogames. “I like to play video games because they allow me to stay fun. My younger cousins always come over and want to play with me.” Bailey not only enjoys playing video games but he is also a chess enthusiast, “I have been playing chess for awhile. I do it as a brain teaser. Being a safety guard is all about staying a few moves ahead at all times.”
As we were concluding the interview, I asked Officer Bailey what it is like first thing in the day when students are arriving to school. “I make sure that I say good morning and hello to each student in the morning. Some students are zoned out so they don’t say hello back but they have other worries like class and tests so I get it. But a nice ‘hello’ can go a long way.” So every morning when you sleepily stumble into the building, even if you are one of these students absorbed with an upcoming exam, please try to give our Officer Bailey a greeting. Because every day he earns it.