Finally a full compliment of armed guards and K-9's for the the local youth prisons
Weedwacker
Number 746
Conspirator for: 13 years 23 weeks
Posted on: March 6, 2011 - 6:40pm
This was front page Sunday locally. It highlights all the area school cops as shining officer-friendly heroes counciling troubled youth in a team-work award-winning effort of the community. A year ago I wouldn't have given this a second thought. Now I find it pretty disturbing in so many different ways. I'm all for keeping of the peace, but with such a lesson in state presence and existence in aquescense to the armed agents of the state, what chance is there for the formation of free adults who will not accept intrusions on their liberty? If you are at school all day having your stuff sniffed by dogs how will you develop the volition to ever object to this as an adult? If a cop is yo smiling daddy in times of trouble will he ever be percieved as a threat even as his institution controls your every move?
Here's my favorite line: " When asked about earning the students’ trust, Dixon said, “I treat the kids like I’d like to be treated. They understand that. They understand I’ve got a job to do. I treat them with respect"
Hmmm. So the kids can force you into a building for 6 hours a day against your will with people that you don't necessarily get along with, go through your things, sniff your locker, and arrest you and charge you with disorderly conduct if you get in a fight in this environment? Can they come track you down and foreably drag you back for truancy if you flee? I question how is reciprocity in relationships and respect being defined for kids and what this is bringing?
KENDALLVILLE — Last month, police arrested a Kendallville man for allegedly impersonating a police officer.
Information East Noble school resource officer Sgt. John Dixon received from a student and a teacher led to the arrest.
“The teacher heard the student talking about it, and felt something just wasn’t right,” Dixon said. “She came to me. I don’t think that would have happened if I wasn’t on duty in the school.”
Last week, Dixon investigated a fight and verbal altercation at the high school that resulted in three students being charged with disorderly conduct and the theft of a cell phone.
School resource officers, many of them veteran police officers, have been walking the halls of school buildings in Noble, LaGrange, DeKalb and Steuben counties for more than 10 years. They’re cops on the beat like cops of old walking the streets, making their presence known, assuring the public they’re safe and protected.
“It’s community policing, only in the schools,” said Central Noble school resource officer Scott Cole. “We’re more proactive than reactive. Officers on the streets react to problems. That’s their job. We try to prevent problems.”
They’re also counselors, crime investigators, educators, crisis planners, traffic cops, role models and often a troubled student’s friend.
School officials interviewed for this story agreed without reservations that the school resource program is one of the best, most positive ways of using public funds to protect students and school staff and educate students about crime prevention, drug and alcohol awareness, bullying and cyber-bullying.
“This program is one of the best additions to K-12 education, in my opinion,” commented West Noble schools superintendent Dr. Dennis VanDuyne. “Having officers in the schools to build positive relationships with all of our students is a great thing.”
Bill Hanna, Metropolitan School District of Steuben County’s director of transportation and safety, said the school district’s resource officer, Mike Chambers, is welcomed in all the district’s schools, and has a great relationship with students and staff.
“Mike does an outstanding job for our school corporation,” added the district’s superintendent, Brent Wilson.
East Noble superintendent Ann Linson said students appreciate having Dixon available.
“We know that his presence not only helps students feel safer, but they are reporting information that helps the police department keep the community safer. Having a resource officer in our district is a tremendous benefit to our students and community,” Linson said. Schools pick up costs
In 2010, Dixon was involved in more than 600 calls for service at East Noble High School and East Noble Middle School including criminal investigations, physical and verbal altercations, drug and alcohol violations, traffic accidents, parking violations, truancy and classroom talks.
School resource officers were first introduced into area school districts about 10 years ago with financial support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Police agencies received COPS grants and worked with school administrators to arrange the service. When the grant money ran out, the programs proved so beneficial that resource officers were kept on, financed by the school corporations reimbursing the police agencies or by a partnership between the police agencies, communities in the school district and the school district.
Chambers, an Angola city police officer, started in MSD schools in 2002 with a COPS grant paying his salary, according to Hanna. When the grant ran out in 2005, Angola and the school district agreed to continue the program as a partnership.
Noble County Sheriff’s Deputy Tim “Buck” Leamon was the first school resource officer in Noble County and works in the West Noble school district. The 26-year police veteran also started with a COPS grant, and West noble now reimburses the sheriff’s department for his services.
“I love it,” Leamon said when asked about his job. “The students are great.”
Leamon works in all the West Noble district schools. “The first couple of years, I had students in the elementary school run away when they saw me, but now they all know me and aren’t afraid to come up and talk,” he said. “It’s all about earning their trust.”
Ligonier Police officer Jared Knipper is also a resource officer with the West Noble school district, and primarily serves Ligonier Elementary School. National award winners
DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy Berlin Slone works for the DeKalb Central school district, spending most of his time at DeKalb High School and nearby DeKalb Middle School. He’s a 22-year veteran of law enforcement and has been a resource officer with DeKalb schools for about 12 years. Slone is also a K-9 officer, and his dog, Baron, works with him.
Gaylon Wisel, another K-9 officer, works for the Garrett-Keyser-Butler and DeKalb Eastern school districts. K-9s working with school resource officers are passive dogs. They’re trained to sit down when they find drugs, gunpowder, explosives in lockers and vehicles. They’re trained to track people.
“Baron is fine around the students,” Slone said.
Last year Slone and Wisel received the national model school resource officer agency award from the National Association of School Resource Officers.
“I like working with all kids before, during and after school. I try to support the school any way I can,” Slone said.
LaGrange County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Olivares is in his second year as the Lakeland School Corporation’s resource officer and spends most of his time at Lakeland High School and Lakeland Middle School.
“The first time the students saw me in the school, they couldn’t believe it. They’re comfortable with it now,” he said. “They trust me, and we talk. It’s really a great job.”
Lakeland High School Principal Eva Merkel said Olivares is part of the school’s administrative and guidance team. Students who may not reach out for help from others often connect with him. Having a direct partner with local law enforcement strengthens how the community works together to help all Lakeland students be successful, Merkel added.
Cole and Chambers said the resource officer program relies on teamwork for success.
“We work with the school officials, and liaison with our police departments,” said Cole. Chambers and Cole each have been in law enforcement about 26 years, and said they’ve earned the trust of students to the extent that students aren’t afraid to tell them about situations that threaten their safety.
“Counseling students is part of our job,” Cole said.
Resource officers are readily available to respond to criminal acts, fights and traffic accidents in school parking lots, and they assist school administrators with investigations of student misbehavior and violations of school rules. In cases of criminal acts, officers report the incidents to their police agencies. Generally, administrators handle violations of school rules.
“John’s presence has reduced inappropriate behaviors, especially in the middle school,” Linson commented.
Tracking down truants
Dixon, a Kendallville Police officer, has been in law enforcement for 12 years and an East Noble resource officer for three years. This is the first year he’s divided his time between East Noble High School and East Noble Middle School. Like other resource officers, his duties include following up on truancy cases.
“I’ll get into the homes, talk to the parents and the students and find out the problem,” he said. He also helps local police track down runaways.
When asked about earning the students’ trust, Dixon said, “I treat the kids like I’d like to be treated. They understand that. They understand I’ve got a job to do. I treat them with respect. Often it’s just taking the time to listen. They just want someone to listen to them.”
Students find Dixon very approachable, commented East Noble High School Principal Brad Compton. “He has helped us in a variety of discipline matters, as well as assisted in cases where students were injured and needed medical assistance,” Compton added.
School resource officers in area school districts present classroom programs and assist school administrators with the school district crisis plans, and they’re often “sounding boards” for students thinking about careers in law enforcement.
“Students regularly ask me about law enforcement, and Central Noble has a program where students considering a career in law enforcement can shadow me,” Cole said.
When schools are out for the summer, resource officers return to active duty with their police agencies.
All the school resource officers interviewed said working with students is the most rewarding thing they’ve ever done in law enforcement. “Helping kids make the right choices in very gratifying,” said Chambers.
Leamon enjoys watching students he’s come to know because they’ve been in trouble in school go on to graduate.
“I attend graduation ceremonies, and watching them get their diplomas is very rewarding,” he said.
Dixon described how much it means to him for students who have graduated to come back and talk to him, whether he’s working as a resource officer or with the Kendallville Police Department.
Slone works with at-risk kids after school. “Helping them turn their lives around means a lot,” he said.
“We’re making a difference,” said Olivares
__________________
"Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe."
This was front page Sunday locally. It highlights all the area school cops as shining officer-friendly heroes counciling troubled youth in a team-work award-winning effort of the community. A year ago I wouldn't have given this a second thought. Now I find it pretty disturbing in so many different ways. I'm all for keeping of the peace, but with such a lesson in state presence and existence in aquescense to the armed agents of the state, what chance is there for the formation of free adults who will not accept intrusions on their liberty? If you are at school all day having your stuff sniffed by dogs how will you develop the volition to ever object to this as an adult? If a cop is yo smiling daddy in times of trouble will he ever be percieved as a threat even as his institution controls your every move?
Here's my favorite line: " When asked about earning the students’ trust, Dixon said, “I treat the kids like I’d like to be treated. They understand that. They understand I’ve got a job to do. I treat them with respect"
Hmmm. So the kids can force you into a building for 6 hours a day against your will with people that you don't necessarily get along with, go through your things, sniff your locker, and arrest you and charge you with disorderly conduct if you get in a fight in this environment? Can they come track you down and foreably drag you back for truancy if you flee? I question how is reciprocity in relationships and respect being defined for kids and what this is bringing?
KENDALLVILLE — Last month, police arrested a Kendallville man for allegedly impersonating a police officer.
Information East Noble school resource officer Sgt. John Dixon received from a student and a teacher led to the arrest.
“The teacher heard the student talking about it, and felt something just wasn’t right,” Dixon said. “She came to me. I don’t think that would have happened if I wasn’t on duty in the school.”
Last week, Dixon investigated a fight and verbal altercation at the high school that resulted in three students being charged with disorderly conduct and the theft of a cell phone.
School resource officers, many of them veteran police officers, have been walking the halls of school buildings in Noble, LaGrange, DeKalb and Steuben counties for more than 10 years. They’re cops on the beat like cops of old walking the streets, making their presence known, assuring the public they’re safe and protected.
“It’s community policing, only in the schools,” said Central Noble school resource officer Scott Cole. “We’re more proactive than reactive. Officers on the streets react to problems. That’s their job. We try to prevent problems.”
They’re also counselors, crime investigators, educators, crisis planners, traffic cops, role models and often a troubled student’s friend.
School officials interviewed for this story agreed without reservations that the school resource program is one of the best, most positive ways of using public funds to protect students and school staff and educate students about crime prevention, drug and alcohol awareness, bullying and cyber-bullying.
“This program is one of the best additions to K-12 education, in my opinion,” commented West Noble schools superintendent Dr. Dennis VanDuyne. “Having officers in the schools to build positive relationships with all of our students is a great thing.”
Bill Hanna, Metropolitan School District of Steuben County’s director of transportation and safety, said the school district’s resource officer, Mike Chambers, is welcomed in all the district’s schools, and has a great relationship with students and staff.
“Mike does an outstanding job for our school corporation,” added the district’s superintendent, Brent Wilson.
East Noble superintendent Ann Linson said students appreciate having Dixon available.
“We know that his presence not only helps students feel safer, but they are reporting information that helps the police department keep the community safer. Having a resource officer in our district is a tremendous benefit to our students and community,” Linson said.
Schools pick up costs
In 2010, Dixon was involved in more than 600 calls for service at East Noble High School and East Noble Middle School including criminal investigations, physical and verbal altercations, drug and alcohol violations, traffic accidents, parking violations, truancy and classroom talks.
School resource officers were first introduced into area school districts about 10 years ago with financial support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Police agencies received COPS grants and worked with school administrators to arrange the service. When the grant money ran out, the programs proved so beneficial that resource officers were kept on, financed by the school corporations reimbursing the police agencies or by a partnership between the police agencies, communities in the school district and the school district.
Chambers, an Angola city police officer, started in MSD schools in 2002 with a COPS grant paying his salary, according to Hanna. When the grant ran out in 2005, Angola and the school district agreed to continue the program as a partnership.
Noble County Sheriff’s Deputy Tim “Buck” Leamon was the first school resource officer in Noble County and works in the West Noble school district. The 26-year police veteran also started with a COPS grant, and West noble now reimburses the sheriff’s department for his services.
“I love it,” Leamon said when asked about his job. “The students are great.”
Leamon works in all the West Noble district schools. “The first couple of years, I had students in the elementary school run away when they saw me, but now they all know me and aren’t afraid to come up and talk,” he said. “It’s all about earning their trust.”
Ligonier Police officer Jared Knipper is also a resource officer with the West Noble school district, and primarily serves Ligonier Elementary School.
National award winners
DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy Berlin Slone works for the DeKalb Central school district, spending most of his time at DeKalb High School and nearby DeKalb Middle School. He’s a 22-year veteran of law enforcement and has been a resource officer with DeKalb schools for about 12 years. Slone is also a K-9 officer, and his dog, Baron, works with him.
Gaylon Wisel, another K-9 officer, works for the Garrett-Keyser-Butler and DeKalb Eastern school districts. K-9s working with school resource officers are passive dogs. They’re trained to sit down when they find drugs, gunpowder, explosives in lockers and vehicles. They’re trained to track people.
“Baron is fine around the students,” Slone said.
Last year Slone and Wisel received the national model school resource officer agency award from the National Association of School Resource Officers.
“I like working with all kids before, during and after school. I try to support the school any way I can,” Slone said.
LaGrange County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Olivares is in his second year as the Lakeland School Corporation’s resource officer and spends most of his time at Lakeland High School and Lakeland Middle School.
“The first time the students saw me in the school, they couldn’t believe it. They’re comfortable with it now,” he said. “They trust me, and we talk. It’s really a great job.”
Lakeland High School Principal Eva Merkel said Olivares is part of the school’s administrative and guidance team. Students who may not reach out for help from others often connect with him. Having a direct partner with local law enforcement strengthens how the community works together to help all Lakeland students be successful, Merkel added.
Cole and Chambers said the resource officer program relies on teamwork for success.
“We work with the school officials, and liaison with our police departments,” said Cole. Chambers and Cole each have been in law enforcement about 26 years, and said they’ve earned the trust of students to the extent that students aren’t afraid to tell them about situations that threaten their safety.
“Counseling students is part of our job,” Cole said.
Resource officers are readily available to respond to criminal acts, fights and traffic accidents in school parking lots, and they assist school administrators with investigations of student misbehavior and violations of school rules. In cases of criminal acts, officers report the incidents to their police agencies. Generally, administrators handle violations of school rules.
“John’s presence has reduced inappropriate behaviors, especially in the middle school,” Linson commented.
Tracking down truants
Dixon, a Kendallville Police officer, has been in law enforcement for 12 years and an East Noble resource officer for three years. This is the first year he’s divided his time between East Noble High School and East Noble Middle School. Like other resource officers, his duties include following up on truancy cases.
“I’ll get into the homes, talk to the parents and the students and find out the problem,” he said. He also helps local police track down runaways.
When asked about earning the students’ trust, Dixon said, “I treat the kids like I’d like to be treated. They understand that. They understand I’ve got a job to do. I treat them with respect. Often it’s just taking the time to listen. They just want someone to listen to them.”
Students find Dixon very approachable, commented East Noble High School Principal Brad Compton. “He has helped us in a variety of discipline matters, as well as assisted in cases where students were injured and needed medical assistance,” Compton added.
School resource officers in area school districts present classroom programs and assist school administrators with the school district crisis plans, and they’re often “sounding boards” for students thinking about careers in law enforcement.
“Students regularly ask me about law enforcement, and Central Noble has a program where students considering a career in law enforcement can shadow me,” Cole said.
When schools are out for the summer, resource officers return to active duty with their police agencies.
All the school resource officers interviewed said working with students is the most rewarding thing they’ve ever done in law enforcement. “Helping kids make the right choices in very gratifying,” said Chambers.
Leamon enjoys watching students he’s come to know because they’ve been in trouble in school go on to graduate.
“I attend graduation ceremonies, and watching them get their diplomas is very rewarding,” he said.
Dixon described how much it means to him for students who have graduated to come back and talk to him, whether he’s working as a resource officer or with the Kendallville Police Department.
Slone works with at-risk kids after school. “Helping them turn their lives around means a lot,” he said.
“We’re making a difference,” said Olivares
"Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe."
Frank Zappa