From the cover
Leander ISD begins creation of district police force
The approach
The overview
Building its own police department will give LISD the greatest control over how it hires and trains armed officers, said Bryan Miller, executive director of student support. Staffing more school resource officers from local police departments—the method the district currently uses to have officers at its high school campuses and Leander Middle School—was not an option as those agencies are short staffed, he said. Representatives with Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Cedar Park Police Department and Leander Police Department confirmed they are experiencing officer shortages. “Very quickly, [we realized] there was no way they could create that kind of capacity through our partnership, so we had to explore other avenues,” Superintendent Bruce Gearing said. The district will assign school marshals to ele- mentary campuses as they have less authority than commissioned peace officers but still hold a license to carry, Miller said. Unlike police officers, school marshals will be able to contribute to administrative work, such as emergency response protocols or monitoring recess, he said.
LISD parent Brad Ferguson said he is concerned about young students being disciplined by armed guards instead of educators. Neither officers nor school marshals will be the first to respond to school discipline concerns but may play a supportive role through talking with students or reminding them to follow campus rules, Miller said. The district’s disciplinary response will be guided by its code of conduct while police officers will address criminal ramifications, he said. Police officers and school marshals will report to a chief of police while the chief will report to the superintendent in accordance with state law. Both school marshals and officers will receive training on child development and interacting with students while marshals will partake in professional training and learning along with teachers, he said. The speed at which the department is developed largely depends on the district’s ability to hire and train applicants, Miller said. “You’ve got 1,200-plus districts competing for licensed police officers to join departments and have the correct training, along with marshals,” Miller said.
Leander ISD officials are in the initial stages of building a district police force after the board of trustees approved the department’s creation and first round of funding Nov. 30. The district amended this fiscal year’s budget by $1.1 million to hire some staff and cover costs for training, insurance, and equipment. With a plan to hire 67 total officers, the entire department is expected to take multiple years and millions of dollars to create, officials said. HB 3 author Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, said the bill’s armed officer requirement aims to increase school security and “reduce confusion in the midst of a crisis,” such as an active shooter situation. With over 42,000 students across 48 campuses, LISD has struggled to comply with the law. District officials said the state has not provided enough funding to implement HB 3.
Department breakdown
35 police officers for middle and high schools
Officer responsibilities
67 total officers
32 school marshals for elementary and alternative schools
• Primary role to respond to an active threat School marshals • 80 hours of training and psychological exam • Arrests only to prevent imminent bodily harm • May complete administrative safety and security tasks, including developing response protocols, hosting trainings and conducting door audits
Police officers • Primary role to address criminal activity • 1,400 hours or eight to nine months of training, including the School-Based Law Enforcement Officer Proficiency Certificate • Commissioned peace officer with full arrest and investigation powers • Cannot be assigned to address administrative tasks or disciplinary issues
Around $4.8 million for recurring yearly salary costs Around $2.8 million for start-up equipment and training costs
SOURCE: LEANDER ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCES: LEANDER ISD, TEXAS COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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