Brownsburg OKs school police

... at the cost of the already overly tax-burdened (because of the schools!) Hendricks County taxpayers.

I applaud the move, but I think it is a sad commentary on today's society when we need sworn police officers in our schools. I can count on one hand the number of times I even saw a policeman at school when I attended 30+ years ago.

yawn

Is this something of which Brownsburg residents are expected to be proud? The alleged 'need' for a school police department... and creating one? As a Hendricks County resident, this is an embarrassment.

do thay still call,em rent-a-cop?

This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. My child goes to Brownsburg and I don't see much reason for a Police Department, but what ever keeps my child the safest, makes me a happy parent. Go Dogs!!!

So there would be no additional cost to taxpayers?

I wonder if this is necessary as a reults of all of the low-income housing they have approved to be built over the past few years?

How can this not cost additional money? There will be health care ins., vacation, sick and personal time and space for people. Oh yes, the all important take home car.

Curious wrote:

Is this something of which Brownsburg residents are expected to be proud? The alleged 'need' for a school police department... and creating one? As a Hendricks County resident, this is an embarrassment.Brownsburg is one of the best cities to live in. I'm very proud that the Brownsburg communitiy is taking charge of a situation before it occurs unlike many other schools. This could prevent some tragety, like Columbine, or Virginia Tech. Why would we not take advantage of a system that will protect our children.

Brownsburg is one of the best cities to live in. I'm very proud that the Brownsburg communitiy is taking charge of a situation before it occurs unlike many other schools. This could prevent some tragety, like Columbine, or Virginia Tech. Why would we not take advantage of a system that will protect our children.

Curious wrote:

Is this something of which Brownsburg residents are expected to be proud? The alleged 'need' for a school police department... and creating one? As a Hendricks County resident, this is an embarrassment.

Brownsburg schools HAVE had a police presence for over five years now. There are currently three(?) police officers assigned solely to Brownsburg Schools. The only difference now is that they will be officially controlled by the school corporation instead of by the Brownsburg Police Department. Other school districts in Hendricks County have police officers assigned to the schools, too.

WONDERING INDIANA wrote:

How can this not cost additional money? There will be health care ins., vacation, sick and personal time and space for people. Oh yes, the all important take home car.

Because BCSC has already been picking up the tab for the police officers currently assigned to the schools who are "officially" Brownsburg Police Department officers. This is not something "new" as in we've never had police officers in Brownsburg schools before -- it's just now saying that they get their powers from the school corporation instead of from the city police department.

Why is it that a police presents is needed at a school anyway. As Kudos noted above I never seen any police 30 + years ago either. And I went to brownsburg schools.
So what is the difference from then to now. Is it the low cost housing that has brought poorer people into the town?. No because the people back then, and Id say the biggest part of them, were poorer.
Its the disintegration of ethics I guess. You can see this not only in the schools but also in the elected politicians. Its just a downgrade of society.
What a shame, what a shame.

If anyone has any better thoughts please let them be known..

I don't understand why Brownsburg needs a police force at school. Why can't security handle their problems? How did they become like IPS and Pike schools in that police officers are a necessity in order to keep the school safe?

I remember when we used to be rivals with Brownsburg in the 80s and 90s (I graduated from Plainfield in the early 90s). Brownsburg has grown and is in a different class (sports). But even then they were in a different "class". They were considered more of the well-to-do folks. They actually were really good kids-even though we were rivals.

Not in a million years would I think that Brownsburg schools would have problems that would lead to these kind of measures.

Is it because of the growth? Is it because of the kind of people who are moving there? Or is it just how kids are generally and because they have so many?

Enlighten me. Will our town have the same problems?

Flash back 35 years + and busing was rumored to be starting on what was Indianapolis up and coming side of town - the west side. School 108 John Gamble Junior High and it was 7th grade and maybe two black kids. But come the 8th grade year busing was going to change all of that. And a WHOLE bunch of folks that lived in our neighborhood decided they could not take it and moved out to a little wide spot in the road - Brownsburg. Yep "White Flight" was a BIG reason for the growth of that town. We stayed and it was not what they pictured. We did have armed security guards at Northwest High School in the 70's (even though, from what I've read, IPS denies this - I have pictures).

So things have gotten that bad there ? The massive vinyl villages around 56th and Raceway get quite a lot of attention from the Hendricks County Sherriff’s department...

How ironic.

This is pathetic. If there are students so bad that they need to have cops in school, why don't they just expell the students. A parent told me this was a good thing because there are student's afraid to walk down the hall due to threats by other students. Have a problem - get rid of it!!!! If a principal needs a cop to do that, then they aren't doing their job. What's next Brownsburg? If you think this is progess, you're mistaken - it's embarrassing that the school administrators can't control their own students! Get a job in a day care...

Why wrote:

I don't understand why Brownsburg needs a police force at school. Why can't security handle their problems? How did they become like IPS and Pike schools in that police officers are a necessity in order to keep the school safe?

Well, you'd have to pay "security officers" (with no police training) not THAT much less than you pay "police officers," and the powers and training that police officers have is worth the extra money. The main problems you probably see in Brownsburg Schools are pretty typical for MOST suburban school systems -- fighting and drugs. An advantage of having actual police officers is that they can arrest students on-the-spot for any criminal offenses instead of having to bring in police officers from the town police department. I'm sure they also deal with traffic violations in and around the schools and school parking lots.

Basically, it "frees up" the teachers and administrators to be able to actually teach instead of having to deal with all of the other "junk."

Also, Brownsburg is getting many students moving in FROM Pike Township and IPS, so yes, they're bringing some problems in with them. However, the biggest drug problems are usually with the same old middle-class and upper-class kids whose families just look the other way and think that their little angel would NEVER do any of that -- and, yes, that goes on in Carmel, Zionsville, Avon, and Fishers just as much as it goes on in Brownsburg.

Why wrote:

I don't understand why Brownsburg needs a police force at school. Why can't security handle their problems? How did they become like IPS and Pike schools in that police officers are a necessity in order to keep the school safe?
I remember when we used to be rivals with Brownsburg in the 80s and 90s (I graduated from Plainfield in the early 90s). Brownsburg has grown and is in a different class (sports). But even then they were in a different "class". They were considered more of the well-to-do folks. They actually were really good kids-even though we were rivals.
Not in a million years would I think that Brownsburg schools would have problems that would lead to these kind of measures.
Is it because of the growth? Is it because of the kind of people who are moving there? Or is it just how kids are generally and because they have so many?
Enlighten me. Will our town have the same problems?

they are esentially security. They perform the same functions as before they were under direct control of the school board.

I read in one of the news station articles the other day that Brownsburg schools have had 104 runs just since February.

The article said that some were for car wrecks and property damage. But there were others for bomb threats and fights.

Can't security handle a fight? Do kids go to jail now for a simple little fight. Back in our days they just got Saturday school.

Is it because they use knives and guns? Surely not.

BHS was like a prison 5 years ago, now they're giving the pigs their own school department!?!? Can you say "lockdown". Oh, and plleeaaasssee tell me that 'Barney'(as in Barney Fife) isn't still around!

That makes sense. I hope the plan works so that Brownsburg continues to uphold the high academic standards they have set. They have always been a fantastic school and hopefully by being proactive they can keep it that way.

I live in Plainfield. I am watching what happens in Brownsburg and Avon very closely. I know that we are not perfect.

Although, just looking at statistics...Plainfield has a larger population than Avon and Brownsburg.
Here is the breakdown of the students in each school corporation and town populations (as of 2006).

Plainfield school corp (K-12)- 3,971
Plainfield town population 24,734

Brownsburg school corp (K-12)- 5,656
Brownsburg town population 18,850

Avon school corp (K-12)- 5,946
Avon town population 9,847

Okay, what am I missing? How is it that the town with the highest population has the least amount of students? Are we made up of a bunch of old farts or what?:-) Is it annexation? Annex the property, take the people into the census, but the kids go to other schools?