A shy kid finds a friend and mentor in St. Paul cop

Jeff Stiff first saw the kid out on the hockey rink back in January, wary and uncertain, wobbling across the ice with no gloves.

It was the first time on skates for 8-year-old Antonio Naastad and it was pretty obvious. Antonio was holding onto the boards as he crept around the rink.

Stiff, who serves on the special investigations unit for the St. Paul Police Department, is a former college hockey player who was volunteering for the Police Activities League when he spotted little Antonio.

Stiff, a former bodybuilder with a bald head and a no-nonsense demeanor, can seem intimidating. But the shy Antonio took to him immediately, and the two spent the rest of that session working together on skating skills.

"What I liked about Antonio is that there was never a lack of effort on his part," said Stiff. "He was willing to give anything a try."

Antonio stuck with the program and the two exchanged phone numbers, starting an unusual friendship, the burly white cop and the tiny biracial kid with the big smile.

Not long ago, Antonio learned he had to have surgery for an ear problem. After doctors asked him who he wanted by his bedside for the procedure Tuesday, Antonio asked Stiff to be there, along with his mother and grandparents.

On Monday, Stiff dropped by Antonio's house for a pre-surgery pep talk.

"How are you feeling? You ready for tomorrow?"

"Nervous," said Antonio. "You'll be all right," Stiff said.

Over the past 10 months, the two have called or texted nearly every day. They get together a few times a month to practice hockey shots or to do homework. Stiff got Antonio to practice his spelling skills by writing down every NHL team.

"My teacher says if we can't read, we can't get a job," said Antonio.

"I think we consider ourselves friends," said Stiff.

"I told my mom Jeff is my only friend," said Antonio.

April Naastad, Antonio's mom, said his father has not been involved in their lives, so Stiff's attention has been important.

"Jeff has worked with Antonio one-on-one," Naastad said. "He's helped with homework and has picked him up from school when I couldn't. I think it's given him a positive influence. He now has a role model, and he has a buddy."

"With all the bad press in the news about police, it's kind of nice that Antonio has this positive experience with Jeff," Naastad said.

Antonio admits, however, that when he sees news about violence against police, he worries about Stiff. "Yeah, I do," he said.

Police-community relations has been a big topic the past few years. President Obama has encouraged officers to engage with the public more, especially with boys and young men of color, like Antonio.

So has new St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell.

"Sometimes our officers mediate, sometimes they educate, and sometimes they have to make arrests," said Axtell. "Thankfully, more often than not, our job comes down to building relationships. It's handshakes, high-fives and hugs. It's teaching kids to skate and play hockey. That builds trust, and trust makes us more effective."

That's why Stiff was at Children's Hospital early Tuesday morning to make sure Antonio felt safe going into surgery.

"He was a little worked up," Stiff said later. "He's pretty good at stalling. He asked a lot of questions."

Surgery went well, and when Antonio woke up, Stiff was right there, waiting for him.

jtevlin@startribune.com • 612-673-1702 • Follow Jon on Twitter: @jontevlin