Yesterday’s post  focused on school police departments.  Today, we take a look at school police and staffing in smaller and mid-sized school districts.

Chuck Hibbert is the president of Hibbert Safe School Consulting in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a consultant to National School Safety and Security Services.  He retired after 21 years of service overseeing school police officers and security services in MSD Wayne Township in Indianapolis, a school district with over 15,000 students. Prior to working with the school district, Chuck served 12 years with the Indiana State Police. (*see more bio below)

In our video interview, Chuck identifies key issues in managing and overseeing off-duty police officers, in-house security staff, and a “hybrid-model” of  school police/security staffing.

In this interview, Chuck shares insights and lessons learned about hiring and supervising school police/ security officers, including:

• Administering a hybrid model of off-duty police and in-house school security personnel
• Hiring the right officer in these positions
• Incorporating school police and security officers into the educational culture
• Selecting district level school security directors
• Philosophy school security directors are encouraged to have about their roles

Tomorrow, we will look at School Resource Officer programs.  What makes them successful?  What factors contribute to failed programs?  What is the future direction of school-based policing?

Ken Trump

*Additional biographical information on Chuck Hibbert: 

Chuck earned a B.A. degree, has extensive specialized school safety and law enforcement training, and served as a master level instructor in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention as certified by the Crisis Prevention Institute. Chuck was co-designer of the concept leading to the creation of the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy and served as founding chairperson of the Academy’s Advisory Council.  He has served as a school safety consultant for the Indiana Department of Education and is the recipient of the Bell Ringer Award for his contributions to school safety in Indiana.

Chuck is past chair of the Indianapolis Chapter of the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) and served on the Educational Institutions Council of the American Society for Industrial Security. He has authored articles and presented nationally including for the National School Boards Association and the Association of School Business Officials International. Chuck has appeared on local television news and in national news as a school safety expert. He was an invited attendee at the October, 2006, White House Conference on School Safety.