Patrolman Farris J. Resha

Ferris was much more than a Police Officer....He started the Marine Patrol for Highland Lake. He formed,trained and ran the Police Scuba Team. He mentored at least 10 youths that I know of. He was the "go to" guy for any police officer that needed help or didn't know some function of police work. He took many young kids home or gave them a second chance. He used to tell me that kids should not get a record for being stupid. But Ferris would write it in his book....If the youth did the same thing again, Ferris would take them home and explain the matter to their parents....He would talk to the judge and /or the prosecutor and do what He could for a youth....All on his own time.....He also taught water safety and scuba diving to both boys and girls at the YMCA . He paid for the equipment and air out of his own pocket.....Most dances required a police officer to be there. We were paid $5 an hour. When Ferris worked a dance, He never took the money. But, Ferris knew what was going on in Town. The kids really loved Ferris, and He loved them.....The night that Ferris got killed was halloween. There were hundreds of kids out marking windows, a typical halloween night....After the accident, the whole town became silent. The streets that were full of kids were empty.

I was proud to be a part of this man's life. He made Me and many others a better person by example....

A fellow Officer
Winsted Police Dept

April 27, 2018