Police in the schools

Bridgeview approves officer in two schools

By Steve Metsch

The village of Bridgeview is entering into an intergovernmental agreement with Indian Springs School District 109 to have a police officer assigned to Bridgeview Elementary and Lyle Elementary schools.

The officer, called a “school resource officer,” would be stationed in each school during the school day.

Trustees, by a 6-0 vote, approved the agreement at their July 17 village board meeting.

“We were discussing it,” Bridgeview Police Chief Richard Mancha said after the meeting. “I think it would be great.

“I like the fact that we have a school officer in there … dealing with the problem kids, dealing with the truants who might fall through the cracks in the system, any irate parents, any – God forbid – any violence,” Mancha said.

According to the agreement, the officer would serve as a liaison between the school district and the police department.

The duties would include:

Perform residence annual verification and assist with residency investigations;
Provide staff and parent training as requested;
Serve as the schools’ crisis team chairman and organize and conduct annual crisis manual review;
Accompany school personnel on home visits as needed;
Work with small groups of assigned students during district-assigned time;
Perform any other related duties agreed up on by the police chief and schools superintendent;
Make classroom presentations;
Protect school property, students, school personnel and visitors from criminal activity by patrolling the building and grounds, and attend special school functions like athletic events, dances, concerts and educational programs.

The officer would check in each day at the police department and arrive at the school district by 7:30 a.m., remaining on duty until 3:30 p.m. or later depending on the day’s events.

The agreement says the school district will reimburse the village for the salary and any overtime pay for the officer, and the village will pay for all the benefits.

The officer will be armed, the agreement says.

— Desplaines Valley News

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Steve Metsch

Steve Metsch is an award winning veteran reporter who previously worked for the Daily Southtown Newspapers, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Metsch is a writer and editor at the Southwest News Newspaper group based in suburban Chicago, and a freelance writer a health magazine, the Suburban Life, the Naperville Sun, and other organizations.
Email Steve Metsch at [email protected]