Since becoming a school resource officer (SRO) for the Corbin Independent School system in 2022, Greg Hill has been a familiar face around campus as he conducts his patrols during instructional hours and at after-school events, such as Redhound sporting events. Those who know him are aware of his dedication to protecting and serving as a longtime law enforcement officer, but they may not have realized his level of influence outside of the Commonwealth.
Last Friday, Hill was caught off guard by a surprise ceremony inside the Corbin High School auditorium where he was honored for becoming the first American to receive the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal. Officially bestowed on behalf of the Canadian government, the award recognizes those individuals who have made significant contributions to the lives of Canadian citizens.
How in the world has officer Hill managed to accomplish that from here in southeast Kentucky, you ask? That is an interesting story…
Hill began his professional law enforcement career in the early 2000’s as a member of the London City Police Department. It was here that he first received training in how to become a D.A.R.E. instructor. This experience would forever change his life.
“My parents and my grandparents were educators,” Hill said. “And I actually majored in education before pursuing law enforcement, so I saw this as an opportunity to do something that I was really passionate about. It just grew from there.”
Hill eventually became a Kentucky State Police trooper, and obtained the designation of detective sergeant in 2013. He retired in 2018, but all along the way he continued to impact the lives of young people through the D.A.R.E. program.
For those not familiar with D.A.R.E., it stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and for decades it has allowed law enforcement officers to positively influence school-aged kids by educating them on the dangers associated with drug and alcohol abuse. Hill said the organization has evolved somewhat over the years, now focusing on implementing what is called the D.A.R.E. decision-making model in order to steer youth in the right direction when it comes to not just drugs and alcohol, but any potentially harmful behavior that could lead to trouble.
As Hill explained, D.A.R.E. has grown from just ten officers that were involved in the pilot program in the Los Angeles area to now consisting of over 40,000 officers nationwide. It has also gone international, with courses taught in over 50 countries around the globe, including Canada.
In 2008, Hill met Harry Lawrenson, an inspector with the Ontario Provincial Police, while they were both attending a D.A.R.E. conference in Orlando, Fla.
“We hit it off, and became friends,” Hill said of Lawrenson. “Before we left [the conference], he asked me if I would be interested in coming to Canada to do a training.”
This began a series of trips for Hill that took him across the northern border several times over the course of the next ten years.
“He was always very good to me,” Hill said, once again speaking about Lawrenson. “He is not just a brother in law enforcement, but a dear friend to our family.”
So, you could imagine Hill’s surprise when he entered the CHS auditorium last Friday for what he thought was just going to be a group talk with junior and senior students on the importance of staying safe on prom night. Instead, he sees Lawrenson’s face on a projector screen as an announcement is made to everyone in attendance that one of Corbin’s own SROs is being presented with the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
“I was very honored and humbled,” said Hill, whose parents, wife and children also surprised him with their attendance at the ceremony. “I thought I was going into the auditorium for a prom safety meeting, and all of a sudden it turned into this. They did well.”
Hill came out of retirement to head up the Corbin Independent School police force starting in the 2022-23 school year. His new job keeps him and his fellow SROs plenty busy, but he said that he would still like to use his D.A.R.E. training to positively impact students, who may not otherwise have a positive influence in their lives.
Unfortunately, many school systems ended up suspending their D.A.R.E. programs during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Hill said that not having enough personnel has been one of the reasons for why some programs have yet to relaunch, but that the organization as a whole is very much alive and well.
For more information on D.A.R.E., go online to www.dare.org. To find out more about the King Charles III Coronation Medal, visit www.canada.ca and run a search using the name of the award.
