Katy ISD Police Department Chief Robert Jinks leads 52 officers who protect more than 72,000 students and patrol 60 campuses spread across 181 square miles.

Jinks was appointed to the position at the beginning of the school year after former Chief Mark Hopkins retired.

“The department was in good shape when I got it,” Jinks said. “I’ve got some good people working under me, and it’s going real smooth.”

Jinks began at KISD in 1984 as a security specialist after a five-year stint in law enforcement. The KISD Police Department was formed in 1989, and Jinks continually moved up the ranks.

The KISD Police Department focuses on school grounds and has jurisdiction within Katy ISD school boundaries.

“For the most part, [we encounter] just small crime like possession of marijuana [and] theft. But it can run all the way up to serious offenses,” Jinks said.

Jinks said he wants the community to become more involved and encourages a “see something, say something” mentality.

“[Students] hear and know more than we will ever know, so I’d like to bring them more into the picture of policing their campuses, and the parents, too,” Jinks said.

KISD Police Department Deputy Chief Keith Meier has worked with Jinks for nearly 28 years.

“You’ve heard the term, ‘they’re just good people,’ and that’s what he is,” Meier said of Jinks.

Jinks said he has learned over the years that children make mistakes.

“Just because a kid makes a mistake doesn’t make him a bad kid it makes him a kid [who] made a mistake,” Jinks said.