It’s nothing out of the ordinary for students in Bartholomew County to see a uniformed officer roaming the halls, passing out a few high-fives and hugs.
Since 2014, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. and Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. have partnered with the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department to place a specially-trained, full-time officer in all schools across the two districts.
Officers Julie Quesenbery and Eric Stevens took the post at BCSC in 2014, splitting the corporation’s 18 schools between one another — each responsible for nine school buildings.
New this year, BCSC has added three school resource officer positions, allowing each officer to limit their load to no more than five schools.
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Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy Teancum Clark started his tenure in January, traveling to county schools within BCSC, including Southside, Mt. Healthy, Taylorsville, Clifty Creek and Rockcreek elementary schools.
Officers Greg Ross and Eric Kapcyznski stepped into their new roles in July. Ross is assigned to Central Middle School, McDowell Education Center, CSA Lincoln and Parkside elementary schools. Kapcyznski is housed at Northside Middle School and also travels to W.D. Richards, L.C. Schmitt and L. Frances Smith elementary schools.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek welcomed Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy Jessica Pendleton to Hope Elementary School and Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School in January.
Pendleton is no stranger to being around young people. During her 11-year law enforcement career, Pendleton has served four years as a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) instructor.
The officers have received training through the National Association of School Resource Officers, which provides a variety of educational opportunities that begin with a five-day basic school resource officer course. There’s also an advanced course available for officers who are able to spend an additional three days in training.
In addition, the association offers specialized courses that deal with such matters as adolescent mental illness, risk management during special events and effective internet safety.
Back in the classroom
Clark’s journey to becoming a school resource officer started in the classroom where he taught high school Spanish, first at Hobart High School in Hobart, for two years, then at Columbus North for four and a half years.
“I was a coach and a teacher, and I really was having a good time, but I felt like I wanted to do something more; something different,” Clark said. “A lot of cousins were in law enforcement, and I knew I could be a good police officer, but my goal when I left teaching was to be a school resource officer.”
He joined the sheriff’s department five years ago, working the night-shift. Over time, Clark said he learned the in’s and out’s of policing, making it the perfect marriage with his teaching experience to become a school resource officer.
When the position became available at the end of 2018, Clark said he jumped at the opportunity.
“Starting off in the classroom was a huge advantage for me in this position because I understand what the teachers are going through on a daily basis,” Clark said. “I understand the grind of really trying to help students who don’t want to be helped. They’re always harder to reach.”
In his job as a school resource officer, Clark is able to dedicate time to reaching those individual students. Now, he can recognize body language and social cues, allowing him to understand how he can be of assistance to students in certain situations.
Bartholomew County’s school resource officers follow the National Association of School Resource Officer’s triad, playing the role of an informal counselor, a police officer and a teacher.
Clark said the informal counselor role has become invaluable to him because of his own experience in the classroom.
“I really think that investing in the kids, building and making relationships, that’s the most important part of the position,” Clark said. “Especially those kids who don’t want to be helped by a principal or a teacher, having somebody who can talk a little bit more real life with them and allow them to express their full range of emotions without that threat of school discipline.”
‘Another staff member’
Being a school resource officer was never a part of Ross’ plan.
In his 14 years with the Columbus Police Department, he had basically held just about every role. He was a field training officer, a narcotics detective, a SWAT officer and a negotiator, and school resource officer just never fit into that list.
Until he filled in for Quesenbery and Stevens on the days they were out.
“I just thought you were a security guard at the school,” Ross said. “I learned there’s so much more to this, and there’s an impact that this role can have on the kids. Subbing really made me open my eyes and realize I enjoyed being in the schools.”
Now, Ross spends his days with students of all ages, serving as a mentor, a friend and a protector.
He said his office at Central Middle School is often occupied by students who just want someone to talk to or who want to ask questions.
“A lot of times when you deal with a family and they see law enforcement show up and there’s children in the home, it may not be a positive visit that we have,” Ross said. “If they see the same officer, they see me in the school on a daily basis, we’re developing a relationship. They see law enforcement in a different light.”
Ross said many people think a school resource officer is there at the schools solely to make an arrest, but he wants people to know it’s quite opposite.
While the No. 1 goal of school resource officers, he said, is to ensure the safety of the school, they’re also there to educate students, bring awareness to issues and respond to emergencies, all while building relationships with the students they interact with on a daily basis.
“The kids are best part,” Ross said. “I can tell from being in Central everyday since school started the difference in how they interact with me. They’re a lot more open. At first, they were like what’s this all about? Now, they view me as another staff member. That makes my day.”
A community that values safety
Kapcyznski said there’s something special about serving a community and school corporation that values the safety of its students.
Before the corporation made the decision to add three school resource officers to its schools, Quesenbery said she and Stevens were stretched thin.
“Now that we have five, which is a huge blessing to our community, we get to actually get in and do what the goal always was — to build relationships with kids, get in the classrooms and not just show up when there’s a problem” Quesenbery said.
Kapcyznski said schools across the country have seen an increase in violence, making the need for school resource officers more apparent than ever before.
He said both the city and school corporation have a strong backing for putting local police in ready positions in the case of an emergency, whether it be a threat or a natural disaster.
“I’m here to respond,” Kapcyznski said. “I hope when students see me walking by or popping my head into a classroom, that I slowly move from being more of an intimidating figure in the school to one that represents, ‘Officer Kap is here to keep us safe so we can learn.’ The students need to come to school knowing this is the safest place they could be.”
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- Provides law enforcement and police services. Investigates allegations of criminal incidents. Makes appropriate referrals to juvenile authorities or other governmental agencies.
- Works to prevent juvenile delinquency through positive relationships with students. Develops crime-prevention programs and conducts security inspections. Works with others to design crime-prevention strategies.
- Maintains a close partnership with administrators to provide a safe environment. Assists in enforcing school policies. Provides security to school personnel during searches. Assists in emergency crisis planning and building security matters. Provides a course of training for school personnel in handling crisis situations.
- Works to be visible within the school community. Attends and participates in school functions. Builds working relationships with the school’s staff and with student and parent groups.
- Develops and implements classes in law-related education to support the educational efforts of the faculty. Works closely with teachers in designing and presenting law-related topics.
- Works with staff to assist students. Provides assistance in conflict-resolution efforts.
- Initiates interaction with students and serves as a positive role model.
Source: National Association of School Resource Officers
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Julie Quesenbery, Columbus Police Department
Columbus East High School
Columbus Signature Academy — Fodrea Elementary School
Eric Stevens, Columbus Police Department
Columbus North High School
Columbus Signature Academy — New Tech
Busy Bees Academy
Eric Kapcyznski, Columbus Police Department
Northside Middle School
W.D. Richards Elementary School
L.C. Schmitt Elementary School
L. Frances Smith Elementary School
Greg Ross, Columbus Police Department
Central Middle School
McDowell Education Center
Columbus Signature Academy – Lincoln Elementary School
Parkside Elementary School
Teancum Clark, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department
Southside Elementary School
Mt. Healthy Elementary School
Taylorsville Elementary School
Clifty Creek Elementary School
Rockcreek Elementary School
Jessica Pendleton, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department
Hope Elementary School
Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School
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