Comments on: School Safety Patrols

By: Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:02:02 +0000

In reply to Tammy Bishop. Wow... and you were right where the Safety Patrol system began! THanks for posting.

By: Tammy Bishop

Tammy Bishop — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:17:54 +0000

Love it. I was a safety patrol girl in St. Paul in the late 60’s. We had brown leather belts and orange oilcloth flags. We marched in a parade in downtown St. Paul. We had blue felt berets and it rained. The blue bled all down our faces.

By: Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 20:31:47 +0000

In reply to Bill Daley.

I’m glad you liked the article but I’m sorry you got pulled from your corner! Those memories do stickwith us, don’t they?

Thanks for posting.

By: Bill Daley

Bill Daley — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 16:26:19 +0000

Thanks for the article and it brought back a very old memory. I was on the safety patrol when I was in the seventh grade at my parochial school in greater Boston in the mid 1950s. It was considered an honor and the nuns only appointed responsible students. However, I got in a minor scuffle with a classmate and a nun no longer deemed me responsible. I lost my position and had to turn in my safety belt and badge. Seventy years later, I still remember my street assignment at the corner of Summer and Spring streets.

By: Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:02:34 +0000

In reply to JOE GEE GARZA.

Thank you for telling what happened to you. You deserve so much credit for all you’ve done. You got out of a bad situation and made a good life for yourself…Raising two kids who went to college? Congratulations. That’s a lot.

I’m so glad the officer had your back. You deserved to have someone watching out for you… And what’s more, it sounds like your patrol group had a lot of responsibility. You were obviously helping kids cross a very busy street. My own experience was at a school where there wasn’t too much traffic. As a patrol, we needed to be vigilant but it wasn’t as busy as what you describe.
Thank you for posting….and I send all good wishes to you.

By: JOE GEE GARZA

JOE GEE GARZA — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 10:02:26 +0000

WOW I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT WHEN I WAS A PATROL BOY IN 5TH, AND 6TH GRADE I BELIEVE 1974, 1975 SAN DIEGO CA. SHERMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. IT AN AWESOME MEMORY FOR ME FOR A FEW REASONS, MY OLDER BROTHER WAS A PATROL BOY A YEARS BEFORE I BECAME ONE, SO I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO JOINING HIM, BUT I THINK HE DROPPED OUT BEFORE WE COULD PATROL TOGETHER, BUT MY FIRST YEAR THE SD POLICE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF TRAINING US ORGANIZED ROLLS OF THREE FOLDING CHAIRS, THE FIRST CHAIR ON THE LEFT WAS FOR A SERGEANT, THE SECOND SEAT IN THE MIDDLE WAS FOR A CORPORAL, AND THE LAST SEAT ON THE FAR RIGHT, WAS FOR A PRIVATE, BUT I WAS ABANDONED AT BIRTH BY BOTH PARENTS, AND RAISED IN A BRUTAL, VIOLENT FOSTER HOME, AND MY FOSTER PARENTS, NEVER HAD A PLAN FOR MY FUTURE, OR ANY DESIRE TO TEACH ME ANYTHING, THEY ONLY ATTEMPTED TO BREAK MY SPIRIT IN ONE WAY, OR ANOTHER, SO COMPARED TO OTHER STUDENTS, I WAS SLOW, AND VERY LATE TO BLOOM, SO I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS WHAT, I WAS JUST EXCITED TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING EXCITING, AND AWESOME, SO WHEN THIS SAN DIEGO POLICE OFFICERS IN CHARGE PLACE US IN OUR PERSPECTIVE SEATS, IN MY ROLL HE SAT MY BIG BROTHERS FRIEND HUGO IN THE FIRST SEAT, THE SERGEANT SEAT, THEN HE PLACED ME IN THE SECOND, AND MIDDLE CORPORAL SEAT, AND THEN HE PLACE POPULAR BLOND HAIR BLUE EYED BOY MY GRADE JERRY GARBER IN THE FAR RIGHT PRIVATES SEAT, KEEP IN MIND I WAS KIND OF A SHY KID, WITH A FALSE SENSE OF INFERIORITY, BLUE GREEN EYE’S LIGHT BROWN SKIN, AND JUST WANTED FRIENDS, BUT JERRY GARBER, WHO WAS PLACED IN THE PRIVATE SEAT KEPT ON BUGGING ME TO SWITCH SEATS WITH HIM, AND I WOULD HAVE SWITCHED SEATS WITH HIM THE FIRST TIME HE ASKED, BUT I WAS VERY INNOCENT, AND FELT A LITTLE GUILTY SWITCHING SEATS AFTER THE POLICE OFFICER ASKED ME TO SIT THERE, PLUS I FELT KIND OF SECURE SITTING NEXT TO MY OLDEST BROTHER’S FRIEND, BUT JERRY GARBER KEPT ON NAGGING ME, SAYING HE WANT’S TO TALK WITH HUGO, AND AS IT WAS, HE WASN’T EVEN FRIENDS WITH HUGO, MY BROTHER WAS, BUT TO THIS DAY, IVE ALWAYS BEEN A SUCKER GOING OUT IF MY WAY FOR EVERYBODY, BUT MY SELF, NOT SO MUCH TODAY, AS MUCH AS BACK THEN, BUT NEVER THE LESS I GAVE IN, AND SWITCHED CHAIRS WITH JERRY GARBER, BUT KEEP IN MIND, EVEN THOUGH I DIDN’T WANT TO SWITCH SEATS, DUE TO I FELT A SENSE OF SECURITY SITTING NEXT TO MY OLDEST BROTHER’S FRIEND, BUT I ALSO FELT A SENSE OF STRUCTURE BEING PLACED IN A DESIGNATED SPOT BY SAID POLICE OFFICER, BUT STILL HAD NO IDEA, I WAS SWITCHING FROM A CORPORAL’S POSITION TO A PRIVATE’S POSITION, I ADMIT, I WASN’T SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON, THAT SAID, IF JERRY GARBER WAS NICE ENOUGH TO ME, EVEN IF I DID KNOW I WAS DEMOTING MY SELF, I WOULD HAVE STILL SWITCHED SEATS WITH HIM, ANYWAYS TO MY SURPRISE, THAT POLICE OFFICER IN CHARGERS WAS SO SHARP, WHEN HE CAME BACK TO CHECK ON US, HE NOTICE JERRY GARBER, AND I SWITCHED SEATS, AND ASKED JERRY GARBER: DID I PLACE YOU IN THE CENTER SEAT, JERRY GARBER STUTTERED A BIT TRYING TO MAKE EXCUSES, BUT THE POLICE OFFICER FIRMLY ORDERED US TO SWITCH BACK, AND TOLD JERRY GARBER, THAT HE DIDN’T WANT TO SEE HIM DISOBEY ORDERS AGAIN, AND EXPLAIN HE CHOSE HUGO AS THE SERGEANT, ME AS CORPORAL, AND JERRY AS PRIVATE, THAT’S NOT ONLY WHEN I CAUGHT ON, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HAD MY FIRST SENSE OF JUSTICE, AND EVEN THOUGH, IT WAS AN AWKWARD MOMENT, AND I FELT BAD FOR JERRY GARBER, IT TOOK YEARS LATER TO REALIZE HOW COLD, AND CALCULATING OF A KID JERRY GARBER WAS, AND AS I THOUGH EVEN DEEPER, MY OLDEST BROTHER HUGO WASN’T ANY BETTER FOR NOT HAVING MY BACK, OVER JERRY GARBER ATTEMPT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME. WHEN I TURNED 13 I JUMPED ON A GREYHOUND BUS, AND RAN AWAY FROM MY BRUTAL FOSTER HOME, STRAIGHT TO HOLLYWOOD, AFTER A FEW YEARS IN HOLLYWOOD, I MET THE MOST INCREDIBLY, AWESOME GIRL IN THE WORLD, HAD A SON, AND DAUGHTER, FOCUSED A 100% ON RAISING THEM DESPITE MY BEST FRIEND CONSTANTLY NAGGING ME TO GET ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT I NEVER RELENTED, BUT WHEN MY BEST FRIEND PASSED AWAY, I WAS SO DEPRESSED THAT MY LONG LOST LITTLE SISTER SET THIS FACE BOOK PROFILE FOR ME, I IGNORED IT, AND NEVER LOGGED ONTO IT FOR OVER A YEAR, BUT MY KIDS MOVED OUT, GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE, AND ON THEIR OWN, SO I GOT CURIOUS ONE DAY, AND TOOK A PEEK, AND NOTICE A FEW KIDS FROM MY CHILDHOOD SHERMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN SAN DIEGO WERE SEARCHING FOR ME, WHERE HUGO FRIENDED ME, A FEW YEARS LATER I FOUND JERRY GARBER, WHERE I FRIENDED HIM, AND SENT HIM A PRIVATE MESSAGE ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, BUT STILL NEVER GOT A RESPONSE FROM HIM, IT LOOK’S LIKE HE BECAME A CITY BUS DRIVER, MY OKDER, MIDDLE BROTHER BRIAN, AND I USED TO RUN INTO JERRY GARBER, AND HIS BIG BROTHER AT JACK MURPHEY STADIUM WHEN ATTENDING PADRE GAMES, BUT THEY WERE NEVER FRIENDLY WITH US. SO AFTER MY FIRST YEAR, I BECAME A STAFF SERGEANT, AND THIS FEMALE CLASS MATE OF MINE HORTENCIA GALVEZ THAT HAD A CRUSH ON ME BECAME THE TOP RANK OF LIEUTENANT, SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND I LOOKED UP TO HER, BUT ONE DAY IN OUR PATROL ROOM, THIS PATROL GIRL, SUSAN SCARBOROUGH, A BEAUTIFUL HAWAIIAN GIRL, I ALWAYS LOOKED AT AS A GOOD FRIEND, OR ONE OF THE GUYS, PUSHED ME AGAINST THE WALL, AND STARTED MAKING OUT WITH ME, I ENDED UP FINDING HER ON FACEBOOK, AND FRIENDING HER, I ALSO ENDED UP FINDING HORTENCIA GALVEZ, BUT UNFORTUNATELY NOT IN TIME CAUSE SHE PASSED AWAY, BUT IT WAS NICE TO HEAR SHE WAS ALSO VERY SUCCESSFUL IN HER ADUALT LIFE. ANYWAYS, I’LL NEVER FORGET, HOW AWESOME IT FELT TO BE PART OF SOMETHING SO COOL, I’LL NEVER FORGET THE FIRST FEELING OF FRINDS TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME, BUT MOSTLY I WILK NEVER FORGET THAT POLICE OFFICER CARING ENOUGH TO KNOW, I WAS GETTING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF, AND JUSTIFYING THE SITUATION, EVEN THOUGH JERRY GARBER WAS WHITE, AND THE OFFICER WAS WHITE, AT THE TIME I DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER, AND WOULD HAVE BEEN OK WITH THE OFFICER NOT HAVING MY BACK, BUT IM GLAD HE DID, CAUSE IT’S WAS AN AWESOME INSTANCE OF HOW I WANTED TO RAISE MY KIDS TO BE. I’LL NEVER FORGET, I CARRIED A LONG STAFF, THE OTHER TWO KHDS I LED, CARRIED STAFF’S WITH THE OCTAGON SHAPE STOP SIGN ON THE END, WE WOULD MARCH A COUPLE BLOCKS AWAY FROM SCHOOL, I WOULD BLOW THE WHISTLE AROUND MY NECK ONCE, AND ONE KID WOULD LOWER THE SIGN STOPPING TRAFFIC, WHILE THE OTHER KID WOULD CROSS THE STREET KITTY CORNER, AND POST UP ON THAT CORNER, WHEN I BLOW THE WHISTLE TWICE, THE KIDS PULLED THEIR SIGNS UP, ALLOWING TRAFFIC TO PASS. I WAS ALSO IN CHARGE OF GETTING TO SCHOOL EARLY, SOMETIMES WHEN THE SUN WASN’T EVEN UP, TO GET THE AMERICAN FLAGG OUT OF THE OFFICE, AND RAISE IT ON THE FLAG POLE, AND AFTER SCHOOL LOWER, REMOVE, FOLD IT PROPERLY, PUT IT AWAY, I WAS EXTRA PROUD OF THAT. CHEERS TO ALL YOU PATROL BOYS, AND GIRLS, THOSE WERE THE DAYS MY FRIENDS, I THOUGHT THEY’D NEVER END ⚡️⚡️⚡️

By: Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 14:48:39 +0000

In reply to Rosemary Walden.

Wow….thank you for posting. The details your mother shared with you totally fit with this history. I’m so glad to hear her story.

When we think about traffic today, I marvel at the fact that it was dangerous then, too. So amazing!

By: Rosemary Walden

Rosemary Walden — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 06:47:28 +0000

Interesting. Our mother, who went to school at the Cathedral School, told us she had some responsibility for the beginning of a school patrol there when she was ten years old. Somehow she got a broken clavicle from being knocked down. I can’t remember if it was a car or a boy on a bicycle. It happened in 1910. The incident, probably one of multiple incidents, inspired a nun with authority to put things in motion.

By: Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 13:07:29 +0000

In reply to Kathy Harriman.

I had not heard about the flags…that owuld have been a huge help! Great that there was a training camp.

Kate

By: Kathy Harriman

Kathy Harriman — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 03:35:33 +0000

When I was in 6th grade in MN in 1962-3, I was selected to be the “girl” school patrol captain. We had the white belts and badges but also had flags on poles that were used to help stop traffic. The summer before 6th grade I was sent to school patrol camp for a week at no cost. It was Camp Legionville in Brainerd MN, which was great, and still exists.