Some school bus drivers want patrol unit stopped

Cathy Scott

Friday, Jan. 30, 1998 | 10:40 a.m.

A handful of Clark County School District bus drivers are calling for the disbanding of a unit of bus safety patrol officers they claim act like cops.

But the seven safety patrol officers who regularly write up bus drivers for breaking district rules are crying foul. They're standing their ground and saying they're just doing their jobs.

Don Ulino, a bus driver, along with four other bus drivers who spoke on condition of anonymity, says the safety patrol officers walk around in their Navy blue uniforms and badges, with pepper spray on their belts, radio speakers on their shoulders and yellow lights in their cars, acting more like traffic officers than bus monitors.

About 800 bus drivers are monitored by the safety officers, whose job it is to patrol the bus routes traveled by the bus drivers each day, making sure they're doing their jobs.

Andre Simms, a safety patrol officer, noted that "800 bus drivers are transporting the most precious cargo in the world, and we want to make sure they're safe."

Sgt. Phil Gervasi, president of the Police Officers Association, the union representing school police, said he doesn't necessarily want the unit disbanded.

"I want them out of uniform," he said. "I want them to do the work outlined in their job description. If you take them out of uniform, then they won't be mistaken for police officers. If that's a problem, and they want to work in law enforcement, we'd be more than happy to take their applications."

Veronica Gonzalez, a safety patrol officer, said the reason they wear uniforms is so children and parents will treat them with respect and authority.

"Our uniforms represent professionalism," Gonzalez said. "When we get on that bus, we mean business. That's what these uniforms represent. What we stand for is the safety of the children and the community."

Willie Tanon, also a safety officer, said he believes they look more like security officers in casinos than police officers.

Patrick Richardson agreed, saying that if safety officers should change uniforms then "Boy Scouts should turn in their uniforms because they look like Metro Police officers."

The safety patrol officers' jobs include monitoring buses and drivers for violation of the district's rules and regulations, said Ronald Despenza, director of transportation for the school district, who oversees the safety patrol officers.

Lleeann Love, assistant director of the district's transportation division, said the safety officers "are not out to get (the cops') jobs."

"We're not competing with them," she said. "It is about children and safety. That's all we care about. No way would we want to step on anyone's toes."

Despenza said there are no plans to take the safety officers out of uniform or alter their current uniforms.

He also said the district "needs as many people out there as we possibly can have."

"The uniform is not a big issue," Despenza said. "They have to go into lots of situations without having the authority, and they need the uniform."

Sidney Franklin, assistant superintendent of school police, said, "I see no reason why that unit should not exist. It exists totally for kids.

"Bus drivers don't set policy for the district, nor does the police association."

Despenza said all of the bus monitors are radar certified, which means they receive the same radar training as Metro officers. They're also trained in conducting traffic accident investigations.

Gonzalez said that safety patrol officers are usually the first to arrive at a traffic accident scene involving a bus.

Once they arrive on the scene, they take all of the children's names, grades, telephone numbers, addresses and seat numbers so the district will have that information available for parents.

Love said the safety officers also do mileage checks of the buses, respond to citizen complaints and lost children -- jobs the school police don't need added to their already busy positions, she said.

Despenza said the safety officers augment the school police officers' jobs.

"They're not cops, but they do have the function of using radar or determining what school buses are speeding."

He described the current conflict between bus drivers, safety patrol officers and school police as "a feud."

Love emphasized that most of the complaints about safety patrol officers are from disgruntled bus drivers and school police officers.