Senior Mark Howells is known around Northborough for his zealous, lifelong interest in being a police officer. Howells has spent so much time with local officers and listening to the police radio that he is an expert in the field.

“I’ve wanted to be a cop since the day I was able to understand what a cop was,” Howells said.

He remembers being drawn to police uniforms, police cars, and the television show COPS from a young age. Howells patrols the hallways, using the vernacular of police officers.

Howells owns a police radio scanner that he has programmed to the police radios in surrounding towns.

He has been listening in for so long that he has been able to learn the codes for each town and is able to understand what the officers are saying. When officers give their location, Howells likes to go scope out the scene.

“I have the eyes and ears of the ‘Boroughs,’” Howells said. “[I can] hear everything they’re saying.”

Howells is part of the Ride-Along Program, a public education program that allows residents to get a better understanding of police operations by accompanying an officer in their police vehicle.

“The Ride-Along Program is more than just going out and experiencing it,” Howells said. “It’s tradition in some ways… The Ride-Along program can mean a lot to those who want to be police officers, especially if you ride with the same officer over and over again.”

He hopes to one day be able to return to the officers he works with today as an officer himself and thank them.

School Resource Officer Michael Bisset has had many positive experiences with Howells through the Ride Along program and sees him having a future as an officer.

“He brings a great attitude to it,” Bisset said. “He has a certain amount of perspective that I think is necessary and he certainly cares. For me, I think that caring is probably one of the most important parts of it.”