Local police officer's promise to still impact middle school students while deployed in Middle East

Officer Gary Takacs, Dunbar 7th graders will continue 'Takacs Talks' show

LYNCHBURG, Va. – It's not everyday you get to ask a police officer a question.

But Dunbar Middle Schooler Norman Hayman and Travis Ennis have created a Q&A platform called Takac Talks for their classmates.

"It's been really good to have him as a school resource officer because his personality is funny and just to see a lot of the questions are about his bald head is just so funny," Travis Ennis, seventh grader and producer of Takacs Talks.

Hayman launched the morning show last year.

"I think its really important to get the community thinking that officers are your friends. Because I know a lot of people think that officers are just here to stop you from doing bad things," Norman Hayman, seventh grader and creator of Takacs Talks, said.

The seventh graders will have to continue without school resource Officer Takacs this year.

"He'll be gone for the whole year. It's not great, but we'll make it work," Hayman said.

Takacs is an active reservist in the Air Force and is being deployed to the Middle East.

"Consistency is important. I don't want them to think that because I'm not in the building that I'm still not around that I don't care about them. I don't want them to get a false sense of, 'where did he go?'" Gary Takacs, school resource officer, said.

So while overseas and Takacs and the boys have promised to keep the show going.

They'll text Takacs the questions and he'll reply through video or Facetime.

"I thought it would be another aspect to keep in touch with them, but also to show them some people can wear different uniforms or multiple uniforms," Takacs said.

"I'll miss not being able to have him sit personally beside me when we do Tackas Talks. I can't wait until he comes back," Ennis said.