Clearly the rule of law at Proviso East

By day, Aaron Peppers is a patrolman in the Maywood Police Department. Corey Cooper is his sergeant.

By night, Peppers is the head coach of the Proviso East football team. Cooper is his assistant.

''It's weird,'' said Corey Cooper Jr., a sophomore on the team and Cooper's son. ''They take turns being each other's bosses.''

Peppers and Cooper have worked together on and off the field for more than a decade and have known each other nearly all their lives. They both are alumni of Proviso East. Peppers graduated in 1985, Cooper in 1981; both were star athletes.

Peppers played football, basketball and baseball. He received a football scholarship to Iowa State and played there for a year before transferring to Malcolm X. Peppers then went to Louisville, where he finished his college football career.

Cooper also lettered in the same three sports. He played football at Purdue with future NFL players Jim Everett and Rod Woodson and still sports his '84 Peach Bowl championship ring.

Cooper made the roster of the now-defunct Chicago Bruisers of the Arena Football League but never played after an injury in the preseason.

Peppers has been a police officer since 1995 and Cooper since 1990.

''They keep us on a strict leash,'' said senior quarterback Dominique Banks. ''If we get in trouble off the field, we know we've got to deal with the law -- and we have to deal with our coaches.''

In Peppers' situation, separating the two positions is challenging. He also is a police counselor at Proviso East and liaison to the Maywood Police Department.

Peppers admits there have been times when he has had to discipline players off the field as part of those police duties. ''I always tell them, 'You want to know me as Coach Pep, not Officer Pep,''' he said.

Peppers has coached at Proviso East since 1999, working with both the freshman and varsity teams as an assistant.

In 2005, Peppers was named head coach and asked Cooper to be his linebackers coach. Cooper never questioned whether he could work for someone on the field who worked for him off the field. He never viewed Peppers as a subordinate.

''He's like my fullback off the field,'' Cooper said. ''He clears the way for the rest of the officers. He blocks for me. I can depend on him.''

The Pirates, 2-3 so far this year, have gone 4-5 each of the last two seasons under Peppers and Cooper.

''It's tough when I look at it as a parent situation,'' Cooper said. ''From a coaching situation, you don't see your son as your son. I see everybody's son as my son. You want the best for everybody.''