Adam Gutshall is combining two of his loves in one place at Princeton High School.

By day, he is the resource officer at Princeton High School for the Princeton Police Department.

At night, he is coach Gutshall, the assistant JV boys basketball coach.

Gutshall, the resource officer at PHS since January 2020 and an 18-year member of the Princeton Police Department, says the role is a refreshing change from patrol duty.

“On patrol, a lot of time you’re dispatched to something negative. That’s how law enforcement is,” he said. “There are negatives that happen [at PHS], but the atmosphere is very positive. I truly enjoy talking to kids, talking to staff about stuff that’s non-police-related, really. Still doing law enforcement work, just a different style.”

Gutshall starts his day at 7:30 a.m., greeting the students as they arrive for the school day with Jeff Ohlson, the dean of students, assistant principal and athletic director.

While serving as a resource for the school, acting as a liaison for law enforcement, including counseling, Gutshall’s main job is providing security for the school, which he describes as a little town of 500 people with students and staff.

“It can be different each day, kind of like on the road,” he said. “I enjoy it. I like helping people with problems they don’t think they can solve themselves, and assist with that. I’ve become softer. I guess that’s part of being a dad, too. I’ve become more patient and more understanding of some things that people go through and act the way they do.”

Gutshall, a father of four, said it’s all about gaining trust with the students.

“You give the kids a different perspective on law enforcement. That we’re humans, we’re dads, we’re brothers, coaches,” he said. “There’s a different side of law enforcement. You can talk to them. It’s not always a negative perception or interaction with us. Just try to be a positive influence. Try not to hound them. They’ve got the teachers to go to. They don’t need the guy with the uniform and the duty belt on constantly harassing them ... where are you going? Why are you here?’ And all that stuff.”

One thing Gutshall doesn’t do is enforce school policies.

“There’s no reason for it. I have no interest in doing it. The amount of times I have kids talking to me, they may not feel comfortable talking to a staff member about it,” he said. “You help them with problems they don’t think they can solve themself.”

Gutshall, who coached the seventh grade state girls basketball team at Logan Junior High and has coached at the Metro Center for several years, said being a coach at PHS helps students see him in a different light.

“It lets them know I’m not just a cop. Yes, I’m law enforcement, but I’m a dad, a coach, I have a son, I have nephews, daughters,” he said.

“It’s a different interaction. You can joke with them a little bit more. Not saying I don’t joke with them in uniform, but it’s a lot more open. I think it’s developing trust with the kids. ‘Ah, he’s more than just that guy.’”

He’s developed such a close relationship with his athletes that some will call him “coach” during the school day when he’s clearly in uniform.

“It’s nothing out of disrespect. They think of me as a coach who happens to be a cop, too. That’s fine with me,” he said.

Gutshall’s son, Noah, and nephew Deacon Gutshall are both sophomores at PHS. He jokes that he has sympathy for them because “when I was growing up, my dad [Terry] was principal [at Bureau Valley], so when I was in high school, I was kind of dreading that.”

“But there was always a nice little resource because he was there,” he added. “There was always a wallet there if I needed more cash for a vending machine.”

A standout on Bureau Valley’s state basketball and playoff football teams, Gutshall said his athletic career helped prepare him for his job, especially as a training instructor.

“I’ve been blessed with having a bunch of good coaches through junior high with Coach [Dale] Donner leading up to high school with Coach [Brad] Bickett, Coach [Bret] Helms and in college with Coach [Russ] Damhoff,” he said. “How they structured practice. The efficiency of practice. The effectiveness of practice. It definitely translated into my profession in law enforcement.”

He jokes that he can still hear the voice of coach Bickett in how he approached the game of basketball.

“One thing about Bick, he always uses the word ‘passionate’ about playing basketball,” Gutshall said. “I guess I try to do that, too, with law enforcement, the training part of it, be passionate about it. It’s bigger than you. It’s a responsibility and not all about you. It’s about the people around you.”