Lamar CISD invests in safety, security amid rapid growth

Garcia said the district has invested more than $2.5 million in public safety in fiscal year 2024-25, which included:

• Purchasing 18 new police vehicles for $1.4 million, funded by November 2022 bond money and a grant from a community partner
• Fifteen new positions for roughly $1.16 million

Why it matters

The investment is necessary to keep up with the landscape of school-based policing, which has changed amid the nationwide rise in shootings and violent incidents on campuses, Garcia said.

There have been 2,000 gun-related incidents on school property nationwide since Jan. 6, 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a research group that provides an online resource of gun violence reports. Of those incidents, 167, or 8.35%, were in Texas.

With this, community members, state legislators and school district administrators demand more from local departments—something Garcia said he believes they should.

“It's definitely been a paradigm shift on what the general public expects from their police department inside these campuses,” he said. “They expect us to be the police and understand that the safety and security of our most valued asset, which are children, is of high priority.”

School districts were once a place Garcia said municipal police officers went to “retire on duty.” Garcia, who was hired in July 2023, said it’s important to him to ensure officers understand that’s not the case in LCISD and are trained appropriately to respond to all situations.

“I'm fighting the perception of what school district police departments are," he said. "You go out and you can ask officers, 'Well, what is your opinion of school district police officers?' A lot of them have this misconception that was built decades ago.”

Digging deeper

LCISD administration prioritized assigning an officer to every campus even before state lawmakers mandated it as part of HB 3, Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens said at the Sept. 25 Promise to Parents brunch.

However, the district must hire more officers to keep meeting the mandate as the district rapidly grows. Demographic firm Zonda predicts more than 19,600 students are expected to enroll in LCISD over the next decade, according to a second quarter of 2024 report.

In addition to officers on every campus, Nivens said there are safety and security specialists assigned to every high school and junior high campus.

“Our police officers are highly trained, highly skilled and they understand the mission: everybody makes it home,” he said.

When tipped off to a potential threat, officers make direct contact with the source, conduct searches, make home visits and contact witnesses. Nivens encouraged community members and parents to inform the school system if they notice children are making threats or exhibiting violent behavior.

“Nothing is ever too small, nothing’s ever too big,” he said.

Looking ahead

To prepare for all situations, Garcia is looking to expand the department’s four person investigations unit and researching the feasibility of creating a mental health unit and a special response team.

While all LCISD officers are trained in crisis intervention, the mental health unit would provide specialized support when someone is in mental distress, Garcia said. The special response team would employ tactical communication skills and de-escalation techniques with the hopes of minimizing the use of force.

“It's about timeliness, efficiency, getting the person the treatment they need but ensuring that we maintain a safe environment and an officer on that campus,” he said.