Safety in session; School resource officers returning to campus
Shay Lawson
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – It’s not just students returning to school, officers are also back — patrolling campuses.
Brittnee Salazar, an Indio police department student resource officer (SRO), said safety is the top priority.
“Security and the SRO’s are constantly working with each other,” Salazar said. “If there’s any new developments or anything like that, we try to roundtable it and make sure that those issues are addressed.”
She said she’s spent 2 years assigned to Indio High School.
“The good thing about being a school resource officer is that most students, when they come into contact with law enforcement, it’s either on a traffic stop or a call for service,” Salazar said. “This allows us to be outside the norm of that, and we are more approachable.”
Emily Luna, student, said she does feel safe with the patrols, but has some concerns.
“I feel like there is a lot of assistance, but it’s not always available,” Luna said. “That’s an issue.”
News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson took this matter to Ephraim Jacobo, Desert Sands Unified School District security manager.
“Last year there was a shortage due to staffing,” Jacobo said. “However, this year we are excited to announce that we are expecting 4 school resource officers on the Indio side and we’re also expecting 4 on the La Quinta and Palm Desert side through the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.”
He said the district has new contracts in place with both the Riverside County Sheriff and Indio Police Department.
“We are expecting more presence at the schools.”
Jacobo said there’s many moving parts that go into the safety and security of the students.
“There’s a lot of drills, a lot of training and extensive personnel. Not just on the district side, but also collaborating with Indio PD, CAL FIRE and RSO,” Jacobo said. “The goal in mind is keeping the campus safe, the students safe and assuring the community and all stakeholders that this is our number one priority.”
Stay with News Channel 3 for the full report at 10 and 11 p.m.