Cops on Campus: Keeping our schools and students safe

WMPD puts a student resource officer on every campus

WM School District West Memphis School District schools are safer than ever, as the WMPD has placed a dedicated Student The SROs, in a working agreement between the school district and

Resource Officer at each of the district’s 10 campuses.

the West Memphis Police Department, began their week of March, on duty The need for safety in a world which requires even more security measures work during the final as students returned from Spring Break.

has been answered by the WMSD.

“School safety is paramount to anything else we do as a school district,” said superintendent Jon Collins. “You look around the nation, as sad as it is, the reality is there is craziness and sin in the world.

What we are trying to do with our partnership with the West Memphis Police

Depart- ment

will

keep our children and our staff safe in order to provide a quality education for the young people of West Memphis.”

Having trained officers at each campus will provide peace of mind to the administrators, teachers, staff and students, according to assistant police chief Robert Langston.

“It’s good that we will be getting our officers engaged to the respective schools and getting to know the students,” said Langston. “With the Mayor’s and the Chief’s initiative it’s a big step with our community outreach. We want to immediately let the students see our officers around each school so that they get to know them and to give our officers a chance to let them know they’re good people. The big benefit for the schools is it increases school security. We have the SkyCops on each campus and with an officer at each school it’s only going to help all the schools. It should also help the parents of the students feel like their kids are safer.”

The SROs include Talitha Singleton at Maddux Elementary, Ashley Winkfield at Weaver Elementary, Jimelle Nicks at Faulk Elementary, Eric Johnson at Jackson-Wonder Elementary, Jennifer Welsh at Bragg Elementary, Tristan Williiams at Richland Elementary, Marc Hightower at West Junior High, Tarvin Gaines at East Junior High, Anthony Hampton at Wonder Junior High and Kevin Jordan at the Academies of West Memphis

hopefully deter some of that and