NISD police officers on call 24-7 to protect students, staff, and schools
NISD Communications Department
June 13, 2008
Margo Fernandez isn't a classroom teacher, but her job, she says, is all about education.
Obviously her job is about education because Fernandez is a police officer assigned to Stevens High School. But it's also about education because much of her time is spent guiding students into making better choices.
"You have to educate students that there are options out there," says Fernandez, who has worked for NISD since 2004. "Everything in our department is for the best interest of the kids and the community."
Fernandez is one of more than 80 officers who work for the Northside Police Department, one of the largest school district police forces in the state.
One of the biggest misconceptions about school district police officers is that they are nothing more than security guards. Fernandez said she's frequently peppered with questions like: Are those real bullets? Do you take people to real jail? Are those real tickets?
Yes, yes, and yes.
In fact, school district police officers are licensed peace officers, just like any member of the San Antonio Police Department or Bexar County Sheriff's Office. And just like every police officer in the state, school police officers must abide by the rules and regulations of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE).
"People are still uneducated about what our role is," Fernandez said. "They say, ‘we want the real police.' But we carry the same certification. We're just a different agency. We are the real police."
Northside Police Chief John Page said the role of a school district police department has evolved greatly in last five to 10 years, partially because of the increase in school shootings nationwide and also because of the increase in the value of school buildings, which now house thousands of dollars worth of electronic equipment.
The number of school police officers has also increased greatly, thanks to grants from the federal Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program during the Clinton Administration, said Barry Orton, President of the Texas Association of School Resource Officers (TASRO) and second Vice President for the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO).
Ten years ago, NASRO had a membership of 13. Today, there are almost 5,000 members.
The reputation of school police officers also has been improving.
Over last 10 years, "In general, I have seen a dramatic improvement in the quality and professional nature of school police departments," said Jill Mata, chief of the juvenile division of the Bexar County District Attorney's office. "I very much appreciate their attention to the cases and their commitment to their campus. They have been a wonderful source of information for us. They have the best interest of their campus at heart and they seem to genuinely enjoy working with the kids."
A school police officer's No. 1 priority is law enforcement, but counseling and educating students also are top priorities, said Orton, a police officer assigned to J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson ISD.
"It's not just about law enforcement," Orton said. "It's important to build a rapport and get to know the kids through some other way than law enforcement."
School police officers agree that their presence on campus is critical, whether two students are assaulting each other, or worse, someone opens fires on students and staff.
"That is something Richardson, Corpus Christi to El Paso over to Tyler ... anyone can have one of those situations," he said. "A lot can happen in the 15 to 20 minutes it takes to respond (for an off-campus officer)."
As of this summer, every NISD police officer has completed an "active shooter rapid response" course, which trains officers to deal with a shooter inside a school. In addition, state-of-the art digital, video surveillance systems with hundreds of cameras have been installed at all NISD high schools and middle schools. The funds for the systems were approved by voters in two recent bond elections.
"We're committed to the safety of students and staff," Chief Page said.
At Northside, at least one uniformed and armed officer is assigned to every middle school, and at least two officers are assigned to each high school. School campus officers typically encounter drug, assault, disturbance, vandalism, and theft cases.
NISD patrol officers are not assigned to a specific campus and help direct traffic, transport prisoners, catch motorists speeding in school zones, and respond to safety issues at elementary schools. Patrol officers are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Page said one of the biggest differences between school and municipal policing is the relationship school officers build with students and staff, particularly those assigned to a campus.
"All the campus officers we have are on campuses because they have chosen that assignment," Page said. "They like that daily interaction and working with students."
School police officers are also attracted to the 10-month work schedule and a job that can make a huge impact on students and provide lots of work satisfaction.
Page has worked in educational law enforcement almost 30 years, the last 11 at NISD.
At first, "I think I was like every young police officer," Page said. "All there was to life was carrying a gun and a badge. But after I matured and made rank, I realized I wanted to do something that would make a difference."
Doug Schramm, a campus officer at Stevens High School, agrees.
"When we arrest somebody, we bring them up here to talk to them," he says, referring to the office he shares with two other officers. "You learn a lot about them. And when they come back to school, you've built this rapport with them."
Much of Shramm's work involves being proactive. He and his partners are visible during lunch breaks, as a reminder to students that they're watching but also that that they're available to talk.
"I think it makes people think twice before they do something," said Elizabeth Stewart, a senior at Stevens. "It's a safer environment."
If an officer sees a student hanging out with gang members, the parents are called in for a meeting. If officers hear rumors of a fight, they'll bring the involved students in for mediation.
Fernandez has a list of every single advocacy center in the city posted on her desk.
"I always let students know I'm someone they can come to," says Fernandez, who speaks fluent Spanish. "If I can't help them, I'll find somebody who can."
Not all the action - or the rewards - are on a campus, though.
Patrol Officer Mike Pitts routinely pulls over drivers speeding in school zones. Drivers get a $350 ticket, which is the flat fine for speeding in a school zone.
Yes, it's steep, Pitts acknowledges, but what if a child darted across the street at the same time a motorist was speeding through the school zone?
Pitts also likes the educational aspect of his job. He's trying to educate motorists, one person at a time, he said.
"If you slow down, the person behind you will slow down," he said. "If you stop, everybody else will stop."
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