Cactus Village Community

Back to School . . By Sgt Smith, Cactus Park Precinct

Aug 22, 2003

Back to School
By Sgt. Smith

It's that time of the year again; new clothes, paper, pencils, and other supplies can only mean one thing. It?’s back to school time. The Cactus Park Precinct provides service to over 65 schools within our boundaries. The Precinct has a squad of officers whose specific duties are to work at an assigned school. This consists of a supervisor and 6 officers. These officers are assigned to specific schools and have their salaries paid by federal and state grants. The officers investigate crimes at their school as well as teaching in the classroom on law related issues (law related education).
With all of the new threats of homeland security, these officers also make the learning environment as safe as possible for the students. They have worked with the schools to develop emergency plans and have had special training in how to deal with emergencies that may arise at the school. When the officers are not busy with enforcement action, or teaching, they mentor the students.
For parents with younger kids, it is a good time to review safety. This includes bicycle safety as well as educating them about strangers. It is a good idea to travel the designated route to and from the school with your kids before school starts. Always encourage them to walk with friends whenever possible.
For older students, make sure you go over topics such as peer pressure, drugs, alcohol, and abstinence. Don't be afraid to get overly involved in their life by asking to many questions. A pager or cell phone is not a bad idea for kids this age, as it will enable you to help keep track of them.
Being a parent during these days appears much harder then when I was growing up, however the school environment is still the one of the safest places for our children to be. . . ☻