Barbara Jacoby

School Police Ready to Protect and Serve

BY BARBARA P. JACOBY

With more than 42,000 students and nearly 6,000 employees, the Cherokee County School District (CCSD) has a larger service area than most cities. And, like a city, an organization as complex as a school system includes many services, from instruction to nutrition, maintenance to nursing and transportation to safety. The safety and security of all students, staff and visitors at county schools, offices and events is entrusted every day to the dedicated professionals who make up the CCSD Police Department, led by Chief Buster Cushing. As Superintendent of Schools Brian V. Hightower recently said, “we know that our CCSD Police Department is the best in the world,” and that belief is validated both through its service and state recognition. The department was notified in August that its status as a certified agency, first achieved in 2006, was renewed by the review committee of the State of Georgia Law Enforcement Certification Program. This is the highest level of state accreditation that local law enforcement agencies can earn, and it is rare for school police departments to complete the required rigorous review. CCSD’s department is one of only five school police departments in the state to hold this certification. The certification program provides a comprehensive blueprint for effective and professional law enforcement, and recertification is required every three years to maintain this accreditation. As part of the recertification process, trained state assessors conduct a two-day comprehensive on-site assessment, which was held in April of this year. The department’s policies, performance and supporting documents were reviewed closely to verify that all applicable standards have been implemented and sustained.

CCSD’s police officers are all Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Councilcertified, and they also have been deputized by the Cherokee County sheriff. These officers not only protect and serve the students, staff and visitors at county schools and special events, but also oversee CCSD’s safety and emergency response planning, employee and volunteer background checks and administrative and criminal investigations.

Not only do these officers serve in traditional law enforcement and public safety capacities, they also take on roles as teachers. CCSD police officers and emergency response teams regularly visit classrooms, especially those in high school career-pathway programs focused on their profession, to educate students. They train school administrators and staff on developing and implementing school safety plans and responding to emergencies, including the coordination of districtwide multiagency emergency response drills.

Through a partnership with the parent-teacher association, officers have offered safety programs for parents for quite some time. These programs have been further enhanced through the introduction of Parent University. Past sessions focused on topics such as student mental health, and planning is underway for future programs, which will be posted on www.cherokeek12.net.

Current members of the Cherokee County School District Police Department, one of the top agencies in Georgia.

Barbara P. Jacoby serves as chief communications officer for the Cherokee County School District, and is a CCSD parent with four children.