Checkmate, Stereotypes: Carlsbad Officer Builds Trust One Move at a Time

By R. Gabriel Villalobos 

In the heat of the day, kids are skittering all around the campus with various tasks to complete and friends and teachers to answer to. 

This is not a dull place to spend the day but, for some, it comes with decidedly less adrenaline than previous assignments.

When officer Zach Bird returned to the Carlsbad Police Department in February, he didn't just come back to a job. He came back to a whole different type of police work.

Bird, a school resource officer at Carlsbad Intermediate School, is a Carlsbad native who spent a few years in Dallas before returning. His daughter is now in eighth grade, the same grade he was in when the school's current principal coached him in basketball.

"It kind of worked out perfectly for me to get some more time with her as well," Bird said.

Bird joined the department in 2013, left in 2019, and returned this year. Over his career, he has worked as a patrol officer, detective, and sergeant. His long-term goal, he said, is to one day become chief of police in Carlsbad.

"I think it's important that you kind of have experience in all the different departments," Bird said. "I'm more of a lead-by-example type of person. So, if I were to ever get to a position like that, I could say, 'I've done it. I'm not asking you to do anything that I haven't done before.'"

Bird said his local ties have helped him build trust with students and staff. 

"Being from here has definitely helped in terms of building the trust and the relationship with staff and students," he said.

The transition from street patrol to school-based policing has required adjustment. Bird described the pace as "a lot slower" than chasing suspects but said the transition has gone well.

To connect with students, Bird is starting a strategy club this year. The club includes strategy-based games like chess, Connect Four, and other tabletop games. He said he initially considered a junior cadet program but wanted something that would appeal to more students.

"I just wanted to start a club where kids could come together and spend more time with each other, especially like the new sixth graders who've maybe never seen each other before," he said.

"They can get to know each other and make new friends. It could also open the door for kids to get to know me, ask questions about police officers, just to kind of build a positive image of law enforcement as early as I can," he added.Bird, who said he has been "on a chess kick" recently, sees the club as a way to teach decision-making. 

Being able to step back from a situation and view its context in the macro is important in games of strategy, as it is in day-to-day life.

It becomes very clear how Bird's interest in strategy was at play in his own life decisions. His North Star is easy to make out when he lays out the pieces.

A driving motivation for him seems to be the lessons he wants to pass down to the next generation. What to observe, when to wait, and then how to advance.

Bird said he wants to help the department address staffing shortages so it can expand specialized divisions, including school resources and traffic units.

"I grew up here in Carlsbad. I care about our community, and I want it to succeed and do well," he said. "The higher I get in the chain of command, the more opportunity I'll have to be able to affect change in the community in a positive way."