AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 300 school districts in Texas have their own police department, and that number continues to grow.
One of those schools is Eanes ISD, Wednesday they celebrated the pinning of nine newly commissioned officers to the new Eanes Independent School District Police Department.
In June 2023, the Eanes ISD Board of Trustees approved a school district police department, and since that time, they spent time and money making sure to fill those positions.
“The new law requires an armed officer on every campus,” said Dr. Jeff Arnett Eanes ISD superintendent.
The nine new officers will mean every campus in the district will have at least one armed officer.
“Their primary responsibility is keeping the kids and staff members safe every day,” said Eanes ISD Police Chief Matt Greer.
Greer served as the district’s safety and security director for the last few years, but now he said he is ready to take on his new role as chief.
Many of the officers joining Greer are veterans with many years of law enforcement experience, and some are coming out of retirement to join.
“We are seeing lots of retirements from Austin PD for whatever reason, so we have been able to recruit quite a few of them,” Greer said.
Having an armed officer on every campus is a state mandate, and it did not come without challenges, Arnett said.
“I think the funding aspect of this for us was probably the most complex because the state didn’t provide the resources for what it was now requiring us to fulfill,” he said.
Arnett said despite the financial challenges the district went to work to make sure every position was filled with qualified officers.
“So having an officer on each campus to make sure we have that presence there, we have someone giving the time and attention we need is very reassuring,” he said.
Eanes ISD Police Department Responsibilities
- Emergency response to incidents on campus
- Enforcement of district policies and regulations pertaining to safety and disruption
- Collaboration with school officials and local law enforcement agencies to coordinate security efforts
- Providing safety education and training to students, faculty and staff
- Development of positive relationships with students and the community to foster trust and open communication
New Tesla Police Vehicles
Eanes ISD has also purchased multiple Tesla’s which will serve as their police vehicles.
The district said it would buy nine Model Y cars, which was a part of a proposal brought forward by Tesla.
“The basic Tesla Model Y has been successfully utilized as a police vehicle in over 50 agencies throughout the U.S. The vehicle will require very little maintenance and no fuel and will serve its intended purpose for each campus officer based on the attached rationale,” the district said.
According to the agenda, Eanes ISD said an evaluation matrix determined Tesla’s proposal was the “best value for Eanes ISD, considering affordability, availability, and sustainability.”
The district said it clarified with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) about the equipment requirements for commissioned officers as well as other standards the agency sets for confirming a new police department.
