Through an agreement with the Ontario Police Department, an Ontario police officer will be stationed at the Stingel Elementary building during school hours in an effort to maintain a safe place of learning at Ontario Schools.
Chief Officer Rodney Smith explained that the officer who is assigned to day-watch will go to Stingel and perform the same duties he or she would at the station, such as completing paperwork or conducting follow-up investigations.
The officer will be located at the south office reception area at no cost to the district. All that was needed to be provided by the school was a space, phone, and computer, in which officers can use to monitor school video surveillance and remote login to the police department and complete general office reports. Reports can be printed straight to the police department and submitted to the watch commander for approval.
As noted by Chief Smith, this decision provides a deterrent to anyone considering violent activity at the school, and it allows the officer to respond more efficiently to service calls on the west end of the city as opposed to responding from the station.
Superintendent Lisa Carmichael stated, “We’re excited about the decision. It is going to provide visibility and further safety at our schools.”
Already, Ontario Schools has law enforcement presence from Adam Gongwer, the school resource officer. Carmichael noted, “Adam can’t be in the three buildings at once, so having another officer at Stingel is going to help a lot.”
As an additional safety measure, Officer Gongwer will ride on the school buses on a random occasion throughout the academic year.
“We’re doing a lot with safety and security,” said Carmichael. Over the summer, panic buttons were installed in each of the classrooms.
Ontario Schools welcomed students back for a new school year on Wednesday. “We’ve already had positive feedback from parents who are excited about all the safety measures,” Carmichael stated.
“We’ve already had positive feedback from parents who are excited about all the safety measures,” stated Superintendent Lisa Carmichael.
