Texas School District Increases Security Presence on Campus
Lake Travis ISD schools will see more troopers on campus this year.
- By Sydny Shepard
- September 19, 2018
Under the direction of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott through his school safety initiative, the Texas Department of Public Safety began increasing their presence at schools across the state, including fast-growing Austin-area Lake Travis ISD.
Lake Travis ISD is home to over 10,000 students and currently has two full-time resource officers at the high school. The school district sees officers from surrounding police departments drop in from time to time, but this year DPS troopers are also patrolling the campus.
A district spokesperson said their community has welcomed having added security on their campuses.
“The DPS Troopers are on campus. They are encouraged to interact with parents, interact with students. If there is a campus event that they can perhaps stay and be a part of that is great. We do understand though that they can perhaps get called into duty at a moment’s notice. Again, we want them to be a part of the school community. They have been, this is just on a more frequent and consistent basis and we welcome that partnership,” said Marco Alvarado, Lake Travis ISD director of communications.
Troopers stop by all nine campuses, park out front, come inside the schools and usually set up in an office or library to fill out their reports. The troopers also make it a point to interact with students so they feel safe and know a law enforcement officer is nearby. The troopers conduct walk-throughs in and around school campuses as well as patrol nearby neighborhoods.
About the Author
Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.