DIXON, Illinois-- The Dixon School District turned the page at its meeting tonight. They said farewell to Officer Mark Dallas, the school resource officer who confronted a student with a gun last year.
Officer Dallas is retiring later this year, and Officer Chris Scott is taking his place at the high school.
"Mark leaves behind a big legacy, some very big shoes," Officer Scott says.
Officer Dallas has been the high school's resource officer for five years. And he'll always be best remembered for what he did last year.
In May 2018, he confronted a student who brought a gun to school as his classmates were at their graduation rehearsal. Officer Dallas who chased then-senior Matthew Milby out of the building... returning fire after police say Milby shot at him.
"It's bittersweet tonight," Superintendent Margo Enpen says.
She says Officer Dallas made many lasting impacts in Dixon, updating the security system and emergency plans at the high school.
"I remember that first year and how nervous I was and how I was going to try to help the program along and keep it active," Officer Dallas says.
He says he's also proud of the relationships he built with students... something his successor says he will try to continue.
"Mark's been a great officer and I'm proud to be able to have the opportunity to fill his shoes there," Officer Scott says.
In his retirement, Officer Dallas says he'll take some time off and most likely do some hunting and fishing. But then he has big plans to travel around the country sharing his knowledge of school safety with other districts and police departments.
"Hopefully, if any other law enforcement agency or school district can learn from what happened with us that day, I would gladly share the information that we have," he says.