School police hope to get a new boss

Benjamin Grove

Friday, June 25, 1999 | 11:10 a.m.

The 110-officer Clark County School Police force on Thursday won a small victory in its battle to get out from under the control of school principals, representatives said.

Some school police officers have argued that principals have too much control over what they do at schools. They believe that principals should not tell them what areas of school to patrol, for instance.

During the 1999 Legislative session, they testified in favor of a bill that would put them under control of Metro Police, instead of a web of school administrators.

"They are teachers -- let them teach," said Phil Gervase, school police union spokesman. "Law enforcement should be handled by law enforcement professionals."

School police are academy trained like city cops, carry guns and have power of arrest.

Lawmakers eventually passed a bill that would allow the Clark County School Board to put school police under Metro supervision -- if board members decide to do that.

In the meantime, the board on Thursday voted to create a new position -- school police chief. The board made Dan Reyes acting chief. Previously, Reyes served as "supervisor" of school police and answered to Superintendent Brian Cram.

The new position of chief will still answer to the superintendent, to the chagrin of some school police. But some police representatives are encouraged that the board may appoint an experienced police officer as chief. They want to answer to a chief -- not principals.

"They interfere with my normal police functions," said one rookie patrol officer at the meeting, who declined to be named.

A principals representative disagreed. He said school police officers have a unique job, and principals should have some say in what police do and where they go on campus.

"The school police are in the business of not only dealing with what they call 'criminal justice' issues, but also issues like student rules, district policies and district regulations," said Allin Chandler, executive director of the Clark County Association of School Administrators.