Emery Dickensen
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Emery Dickerson today.
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Emery Dickerson with his father at middle school graduation.
How long have you been a school safety agent at Booker T.?
10 years.
What is a school safety agent? Are there misconceptions people might have about it?
We do attend the police academy, but being a school safety agent is different than being a police officer. I don’t carry a gun, for example, but I do carry handcuffs and can make arrests.
And you’re a permanent part of the school, right? Not just called in as needed?
Correct. We are a team of three school safety agents here (one retired in September), and we’re a constant presence. We provide security for students, faculty and visitors, and are responsible for challenging any unauthorized personnel. Someone is always at the front desk, plus we patrol the hallways, go to the cafeteria at lunchtime, or just roam the building with our radios. We’re always instantly reachable if a situation comes up. What’s helpful — compared to, say, calling in a random police officer — is that the kids know us and that can help us de-escalate a situation quicker. We know how to talk the kids down.
Since we get to know and recognize the students, I can tell if one is having a bad day because maybe he won’t say hello to me one morning, or he won’t walk in reading a book like he always does. It’s important to get to know them. Sometimes kids don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents, and I try to let them know they can always talk to me.
No. I had a completely different career. Before Booker, I ran the receiving department at the Drama Book Shop in the Theater District. They sold scripts, plays, books, and it was over 100 years old! It was really famous because Lin-Manuel Miranda was always there. I wasn’t there when he created Hamilton, but I was there when he wrote In the Heights. There was a theater area in the store and my desk was near the piano. I heard In the Heights songs every single day.
What was your middle school like?
I grew up in Brooklyn and went to a tiny middle school. It was a specialized program with just four homeroom classes in the entire school. Back then, middle school was 7th through 9th grade, but this program had no 8th grade. They did three years’ worth of work in two years, with a passing grade an 80 instead of the usual 65. It was very intense. Booker is so large and busy (under normal conditions), it shows me what I missed when I was that age!
I would say things have become more decriminalized. A student who might have been brought to a police station in the past will now be taken to the main office until their parents come. We don’t have metal detectors at Booker but we have done random scannings as required. We’re all about safety and protection. Things seem easier now. The kids are a lot more disciplined.
Any fun hobbies people would love to know about you?
My wife and I have 5 kids in total, aged 11 to 31, and I love to skateboard and ride bikes with my daughter, who is 20. I also ride a motorized scooter to school every day if the weather is good. When I was living in Far Rockaway, the train commute just took too long so I got a scooter. I’m living in Ozone Park, Queens now, which is closer, but I still ride. I love it.
Any secret talents?
When I started this job, I got really into Rubik’s Cubes! I can solve one in about two minutes! I bring it to school and if students need to calm down, I’ll sit with them and they can use it as a distraction. I first learned to solve a Rubik’s Cube at age 40, so I definitely don’t have the reflexes to do them as fast as some of the students here. One Booker student was able to solve it behind her back! But I’ve since moved up to the cubes with more sides. I have about eight different ones at home and can do the 12-sided Megaminx.