New cops to be placed at middle schools

Heather Rawlyk

Tuesday, March 2, 2004 | 9:27 a.m.

The Clark County School District Police swore in five new officers Monday who will be placed on middle school campuses.

The officers were hired by school police under the "Cops in Schools" federal grant.

In 2001 the district received the federal grant of $3.8 million over three years to hire 31 additional officers for middle school campuses, according to Officer Darnell Couthen.

"We chose middle schools because in seventh and eighth grade is when students kind of make that decision on where they want to go in life," Couthen said. "Peer pressure has a big influence, and with an officer there, students will have someone to go to who will be a positive influence."

The Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Survey, released in December, underscored that need. It noted that Nevada middle schoolers reported an increase in gang activity, threats of racially motivated violence and the availability of illegal drugs.

The school police department now has two police officers for each Clark County high school. The Community Oriented Policing and Schools program, known as COPS, is currently working on its goal to have one officer at every middle school, Couthen said.

Couthen expects the five officers to be placed at area middle schools in the next eight to 16 weeks, after their training is complete.

The five sworn in Monday were officers who had previously worked at other departments, shortening the amount of training they will need, Couthen said.

The CCSD Police Department is in continuous hiring mode, Couthen said. There are still 15 open spots for school officers.

The department will be testing for new officers on March 12.