Jefferson Award Winner: Patty Monge

LARKSPUR (CBS 5) -- Marin County native Patty Monge has served as a police officer for 21 years. But as Kate Kelly reports, it's what she does off-duty that has earned her this week's Jefferson Award.

You'd better bring your track shoes if you want to keep up with Officer Patty Monge.

On her beat: her alma mater, Redwood High School in Marin County. Even though she is just five feet tall, Patty leaves a big impression on students.

"They get to see I'm not just this person that's pulling over cars and arresting people, that I have different interests and one of my interests is young people and working with them and finding ways of working together," Patty explained.

Patty is a school resource officer for the Twin Cities Police Department. Her job is a unique link between law enforcement and local schools.

"I just bring another element and a different type of knowledge to the table and help educate," she said.

That means tackling important safety issues such as self-defense, responsible driving, and the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. And when she's not in the classroom, she leads the police Explorers Program for kids interested in law enforcement, like sophomore Rico Pedraza.

"She comes in on her own free time," Rico said. "When we mess up, she tells us, 'I'm here for you, I'm not here for me,' because she was an explorer when she was my age."

Senior Juliana Drocco agreed. "She's here to help. She gets us involved with things in the community."

Patty also started an annual toy drive for families. Every weekend during the holidays, you'll find her and her Explorers hard at work collecting gifts for those in need."

As active as Patty is today, she was equally active as a student at Redwood in the 1980s. In fact, they have an award named after her that is given to the senior athlete who has given most to teammate, school and the community.

That helps explains why she doesn't hesitate to involve her fellow officers in another of her passions: raising money for the Marin Special Olympics. She drafts colleagues to serve as waiters in local restaurants where their tips go to the cause.

"I love supporting that," Patty says of the Special Olympics. "They just like to be free and compete and it doesn't matter if they win, as long as they are brave in the attempt. So that was a natural draw for me."

Police Sergeant Mike Norton said Patty has been working on it for years.

"I think she really loves to do it," he said. "Her heart is really in it."

Patty said, "It's absolutely worth it to get involved any way you can by volunteering. Even if it's just an hour. That's just an hour you can give and you enjoy so much more by giving and seeing what they get out of it."

For devoting her considerable energies to public service for her community, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Patty Monge.

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