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Family man

by Brodie Curtsinger
Patrick Boggs, 50, played with his male golden doodle Jasper, 6, in the yard as he ran with seemingly boundless energy after returning home from work as a school resource officer at Mason County High School in Maysville. Patrick said Jasper is the best dog he’s ever had. “I love all animals just because they’re innocent creatures, and that’s the protective nature of mine,” Patrick said.

Each day, Patrick Boggs has five opportunities to see his daughter during the four-minute class change in the school hallway they share, one as a student, the other as an officer. Whether it’s a hug, conversation or quick hello, they’re always happy to see each other. “I’m tickled to death,” Patrick, 50, said of their chance meetings.

Patrick, a deputy sheriff, serves as the school resource officer at Mason County High School. Previously sheriff of Mason County for more than 17 years, he retired in May 2024. Patrick is proud of his hometown; serving the community was a way to give back, he said. He called being sheriff the “greatest job I’ve ever had.”

“People get to know the person you are, not just the badge or the uniform,” Patrick said.

Three months after his retirement, current Mason County Sheriff Ryan Swolsky called and asked if Patrick would be interested in becoming a school resource officer. In September 2024, with his daughters’ approval, he started the position at the high school.

“I think it’s a huge privilege to work in a place where I get to see my children daily,” Patrick said.

Patrick’s oldest daughter, Avra, 18, was a senior when he started the job. His youngest daughter, Aleah, 14, is currently a freshman at the school.

Aleah said she thought it would be weird at first to have her father working at the school, but that it’s actually great to have him there. “My dad is my biggest role model,” she said. “He’s there for all of the moments — the happy, the sad, just when I need him.”

A husband and father, Patrick said his family is his everything. “It’s why I exist, to hopefully pass on my faith and pass on my values to my family,” he said, adding that he wants to be there for them no matter what.

“He always gave 110 percent to his job, but as a family, he also somehow gave 110 percent to us as well,” said Patrick’s wife, Kristy, 48.

Whether it’s his family or the wider community, Patrick said he’s going to help until he’s not able to anymore.

“It’s all about what I can do to help others and instilling that in my daughters,” Patrick said. “That’s something to pass on from my parents to them through me.”

Patrick, a Catholic, prays and reads his Bible every morning at his house in Maysville. His two daughters, Aleah (left), 14, and Avra, 18, are also Catholic. “My beliefs might not be your beliefs,” Patrick said. “But I think anybody with common sense can see that we’re in troubled times, and we need a higher power to believe in and to have faith in.”
Avra (right), laughed as her sister Aleah and father Patrick play one of many games of thumb war after dinner at their house in Maysville.
Before sunrise, Aleah got into her father Patrick’s cruiser as the two headed to school, where she attends and he works. Patrick takes his daughter Aleah to school every morning.
Patrick hugged Aleah in the hallway between classes at Mason County High School. “They’re not embarrassed to be seen talking to a police officer, especially their dad,” Patrick said.
Patrick laughed during conversation in the cafeteria of Mason County High School in Maysville. “It takes a special type of personality to be a school resource officer,” Patrick said. He said the position gives him the opportunity to build memorable relationships with the students that could change the outlook on law enforcement.
Patrick pushed the doors as part of his daily routine, ensuring each is securely locked to keep students safe while class is in session.
Patrick smiled as he asks Aleah about her day while driving home in his cruiser. Now in his second year as a school resource officer, he enjoys the role even more when he connects with his daughter daily during her freshman year. “My girls, growing up in my house, know that I’m going to do what’s right no matter what,” Patrick said.
Patrick makes parmesan-crusted chicken for dinner alongside Kristy. The dinner was specially requested by Avra as she came home for the weekend from Western Kentucky University.
Patrick watched television alongside his wife, Kristy, 47, in their basement. “She is a good-hearted person that would do anything for anybody, and just the epitome of a perfect wife,” Patrick said. “And the bonus part was gaining her family when I married her because they are such good people.”