What’s happening?
The district is actively recruiting, with the goal of 70 officers in the motorcycle fleet, AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said. These officers will have responsibilities such as traffic enforcement and patrolling.
Superintendent Matias Segura said the new unit will help attract needed recruits to the police department and be competitive in the region.
“Here at [AISD], we have to think differently if we're going to be able to attract those individuals who can really support our community,” Segura said.
He pointed out that because officers need to be on campuses, motorcycles are a flexible way for them to be there without the concern of space and parking.
How we got here
Passed during the 88th legislative session, school district officials are required to decide how they would implement HB 3, which went into effect Sept. 1.
In August, the AISD board of trustees voted to place one officer at each campus. In order to do so, officials need to hire 89 additional officers and support staff. The 70 motorcycle officers will contribute to that total the district is working toward, Segura said.
Officials from neighboring districts such as Lake Travis ISD also choose to hire more officers while Eanes ISD officials created their own district police department.
However, officials at some districts, such as Dripping Springs ISD, faced an inability to hire enough school resource officers. The DSISD board of trustees voted to opt into Texas’ school marshal program, in which an employee is hired by the district to serve as an armed responder to potential intruders. San Marcos CISD in Hays County has also elected to implement a school marshal program.
The biggest difference between AISD and DSISD methods is that school marshal identities are confidential and their handgun is concealed.
Managing the impact
In response to HB 3, the Texas Education Agency increased the annual school safety allotment by providing $15,000 per campus and increasing the school safety allotment to a total of $10 per student. This will help fund the new hires, which AISD officials told Community Impact in August could cost the district an estimated $8 million per year.
What’s next
Since January, about 25 officers have joined the AISD Police Department, Sneed said.
“We're in the process of actively recruiting,” Sneed said. “It is a very lengthy process, but it ensures that we get the right person for the jobs, working with our students.”
For more information, visit www.austinisd.org
