ROUND ROCK, Texas -- The Round Rock Independent School District is one of the largest districts across the state without its own police department.
Instead, the district partners with different local law enforcement agencies. It’s an arrangement that’s been working, at least for now.
Round Rock leaders want the school district to finally get its own police department.
Right now, Round Rock ISD has school resource officers or SROs around its 55 campuses. Daniel Presley, the chief of schools and innovation, said these officers act as mentors to the almost 49,000 students.
“The intent of an SRO program is to have an officer in the school who can build relationships, gather information that a lot of times will prevent things from happening. We’ve enjoyed for many, many years a great relationship with those entities,” said Presley.
However, the relationship might change moving forward. The district partners with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Austin Community College and the Round Rock Police Department to cover its campuses.
“You have different philosophies taking care of our all of our kids and I think its important that Round Rock ISD coming under the same police department and they’re taking care of our kids,” said Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks.
Round Rock ISD believe the arrangement works, but they are thinking about the future and want to make sure there are enough resources to protect children. Local leaders are now calling for the creation of a Round Rock ISD police department citing the need for consistency.
“When you have three different jurisdictions and three different philosophies then sometimes things can be misunderstood, safety is always paramount when it comes to our students and I can tell you all three agencies do that,” Banks said.
Superintendent Steve Flores, Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks, and Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody signed a joint letter arguing for the need for a single police department:
“This approach will allow the District direct oversight over recruitment and staffing with a prime focus on school safety. It should be noted the district already pays salary costs during the school year for the police officers and sheriff’s deputies who staff the schools, though the shift will require investment for items such as equipment and vehicles.”
As the city of Round Rock grows, they say the patchwork of law enforcement agencies involved can create some gaps in coverage. For instance, the Sheriff’s Office is working to fill a vacant position at Grisham Middle School.
“More and more they’re having to shuffle their officers and their resources to make sure that the communities are safe,” Presley said.
The district is looking at existing models to find the best approach for Round Rock ISD, one they hope maintains the spirit of the SRO program.
“School resource officers become teachers. They teach students about safety, about police work,” said Presley.
District officials are now trying to figure out costs. The Board of Trustees has the final say on the creation of a police department. Round Rock Police said it will phase out its SRO program in 2021.