Baird, who earned his Associate in Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Waubonsee in 1988, is currently the administrative/detective sergeant at the Oswego Police Department as well as a volunteer fireman for the village. But his interest in fighting crime came before his interest in fighting fires.

After graduating from Oswego High School in 1986, Baird enrolled in Waubonsee's Criminal Justice Program.

"I didn't know if I was mature enough to go to a four-year school, and I knew there would be monetary obligations that my family would have to endure if I did," Baird said of his decision to go to Waubonsee. "I knew Waubonsee was a quality place to get a good education that was close to home and affordable."

A big part of that good education, according to Baird, was the personal attention he received from Waubonsee instructors like retired associate professor of criminal justice Bob May and professor of criminal justice Neal Lippold.

"Dwight was a good student, always there and interested in and dedicated to his studies," Lippold recalls. "But his real shining moment for me was when he became a sergeant at Oswego and worked to coordinate the student police academy at the high school."

This police academy program offers students dual credit at Oswego High School and at Waubonsee for the criminal justice courses they take.

The program is one way to encourage future police officers to hit the books before hitting the streets. Although not all departments require officers to have a degree, Baird cites other ways it can be helpful.

"I had average scores of 92 at the Police Training Institute [a 12-week program required of every police officer in Illinois]," Baird said. "And I didn't have to put a lot of effort toward studying. I just drew from and applied the information I had learned at Waubonsee. That was nice."

But the degree has other, more important benefits.

"A career in police work is getting so complex," Baird said. "There is a push toward making the occupation a profession, and so, getting a degree not only helps you as a person, but also the general field in making that move toward professionalism."

Baird's career in police work has been more complex, or at least busier, than most. After spending 18 months with the Kendall County

Sheriff's Department, Baird was sworn in as an Oswego police officer in July of 1992. In 1995, Baird became part of the Kendall County Cooperative Police Assistance Team or C.P.A.T. It was as part of this team that Baird served as an undercover narcotics officer.

Baird was promoted to sergeant and assumed his current position as administrative/detective sergeant in 1998. He now is responsible for writing departmental policies, drafting Community Oriented Policing philosophies, and supervising numerous areas of the department including the daily operations of the detective unit, the department's DARE program, and the department's high school liaison officer.

"I'm in a tough point in my career right now," Baird said. "I've moved from enforcement to administration. I enjoy both aspects, and I will stay current on enforcement laws, but I can also see myself moving in the direction of administration. I want to achieve more rank in the department, and eventually becoming chief of police would be great."

Although he's not aspiring to be Oswego's fire chief, Baird did become a volunteer firefighter in June of 2000. It is not surprising that he finds similarities between this volunteer work and his actual work.

"Both jobs are dangerous, both require mental and physical endurance, and both allow you to be there to help people in times of crisis," Baird said.

While helping people and bettering his community take up most of his time, Baird does find time to better himself through education.

He went back to school in 1995 to earn his certificate in criminal justice management at Aurora University. It was during these 24 credit hours of study that Baird discovered that he "truly enjoyed learning again."

This enjoyment led him to pursue and earn a bachelor's degree from Aurora University in 2000, and he is currently halfway to earning his master's degree at Western Illinois University.

In addition to this higher education, Baird has logged over 1,300 hours of continuing professional education at schools across the country.

Fortunately, Baird's efforts haven't gone unnoticed. He has received numerous department commendations, an Oswego Police Valor Award, and both an Illinois Police Association Life-Saving Award and the 1997 Kendall County Police Officer of the Year Award for an incident in which, while off-duty, Baird and another officer saved two children who had fallen through ice.

But it was the less formal reward from that incident, and all other incidents, that Baird enjoys the most.

"Just to hear those kids and their parents say thank you was priceless," Baird said. "Opportunities like that don't come along every day, but when they do, they are moments that I'll look back on the rest of my life."