 |
|
|
|
|
Officer Assignments:
Officer Bean: North Lamar High School, Alternative School
Criminal Justice Instructor (High School Level)
Officer Boaz: North Lamar High School, Stone Middle School, Alternative School
Gang Resistance Education and Training Instructor (Middle School Level)
Officer Akard: Bailey Intermediate, Everett Elementary, Higgins Elementary, Parker Elementary
D.A.R.E. Instructor (Elementary School Level)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Officer Jeff Akard:
Officer Jeff Akard grew up in the Paris area and graduated from Prairiland High School in 1989. He began his law enforcement career in January 1995 with the Paris Police Department. He was assigned to the patrol division of the police department until Aug 2003 when he began his work as a school resource officer at North Lamar ISD.
Officer Akard teaches D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) classes to 5th grade students at Bailey Intermediate and Parker Elementary. The DARE program is a 10 week program that centers around the importance of making good decisions. It covers topics such as the harmful effects of tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, and inhalants and also covers friendships and peer pressure.
When not teaching DARE, Officer Akard makes regular visits to the Higgins, Everett, Bailey, and Parker campuses to meet with the Kindergarten through Forth grade classes to help build the relationship between the younger students and the resource officers.
Parents are welcome to contact North Lamar School Resource
Officers for any problems.
We always have an open door policy and welcome any questions.
________________________________________________________________________________
Officer Chris Bean:
Officer Bean is a graduate of North Lamar High School. Officer Bean received a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University. He began his law enforcement career in 1985 with the Fort Worth Police Department. Officer Bean worked in several positions while in Fort Worth including Patrol, Criminal Investigation Department, Weed and Seed Drug Unit, Bicycle Patrol, and supervisor of a Community Services Unit. Officer Bean returned to Paris in 1997 and began working for the Paris Police Department. Officer Bean was assigned to NLISD as a School Resource Officer in 1999.
Officer Bean's primary duty is at the High School level. In addition to being responsible for security he teaches Criminal Justice classes in which students learn about the functions of the Criminal Justice System and the impact of Crime on our country. Officer Bean also started a Peer Mediation Program in 2004 which is designed to help students learn how to solve disputes and conflicts peacefully. Officer Bean also assist with the Student Crimestoppers program. In addition to investigating criminal offenses that take place on campus, Officer Bean spends a great deal of time talking to students about issues or problems they have and directing students to the proper agency that can help find a solution.
The student/police officer relationship in schools is a
very valuable tool. The students learn to have a trust and respect for officers
as an authority figure and friend. Officers have additional resources that are
provided to students and work hand in hand with school officials to create a
positive environment for all students at North Lamar.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Officer Mike Boaz:
Officer Boaz is a native to Paris, Texas. He began his career in Law Enforcement as a Delta County Jailer/911 Dispatcher in 1989. Officer Boaz then went to Lamar County where he became a Field Deputy in 1990. In June of 1995, he was employed as a 911 Dispatcher with the Paris Police Department. He later tested and became a Police Officer in 1996. In February of 2003, Officer Boaz began working as a School Resource Officer with North Lamar I.S.D.
Officer Boaz teaches Gang Resistance Education and Training to Stone Middle School sixth graders. Working through North Lamar and the Paris Police Department the program teaches students how to set goals, identify positive role models and learn basic skills to resist gangs, drugs, violence and crime. The program known as G.R.E.A.T. has been a proven method to reduce violence at Stone Middle School. In the last five years, the Crimestoppers program has also been shown to improve at Stone Middle School. Situations have been avoided and crimes have been solved due to the excellent participation in this program by middle school students.
The student/police officer relationship in schools is a
very valuable tool. The students learn to have a trust and respect for officers
as an authority figure and friend. Officers have additional resources that are
provided to students and work hand in hand with school officials to create a
positive environment for all students at North Lamar.
___________________________________________________________________________________
From staff reports
The Paris News
Published January 23, 2005
Pay now or pay later.
We believe that axiom applies to law enforcement officers at
public schools.
In an effort to cut costs, Paris City Manager Tony Williams is looking at all governmental departments and is in the process of formulating proposals to be considered by city council. We applaud him for his efforts, but believe placing police resource officers at our city’s schools is an up-front investment that results in less juvenile crime on the streets and in ultimate cost savings for the police department.
Williams has floated the idea that full-time school resource officers be replaced with off-duty patrol officers, and that schools pick up the tab. We see no tax savings in his plan, but rather a shift in the property tax burden from city taxes to school taxes. Where are the ultimate taxpayer savings? Granted there might be some savings to city taxpayers in the case of North Lamar and at Chisum if officers are to be provided there. Those schools do serve a higher percentage of county residents, but those same residents spend money in Paris, and their students spend much of their time within the city limits. Without resource officers at county and city schools, juvenile crime could again become a problem on our city streets.
Lamar County Sheriff B.J. McCoy is quite blunt about the need for resource officers. Through grant funding, the sheriff’s department supplies an officer at both Roxton and Prairiland schools.
“Before we had resource officers, superintendents from all our schools would be having meetings with (Paris Police Chief) Karl Louis and myself to see what could be done about crime at the schools and on the streets,” McCoy said. “Since we’ve had resource officers, we have not had a single meeting with superintendents.”
Regardless of which entity picks up the tab — city, county or school district — we are of the belief that resource officers are vital in providing a safe environment in our schools and play an important role in the all-around education of children.
School resource officers should be assigned full-time duties during the months school is in session rather than having off-duty patrolmen provide the service.
Resource officers receive special training in interacting with students. We have visited with several school resource officers of late and each seems to have an earnest desire to be at the schools and a keen interest in making a difference in student lives.
We are convinced that the presence of police has made a difference in discipline problems at school, has made a difference in juvenile criminal activities on the streets and has provided positive interaction with students as young as kindergarten age.
We strongly believe that early intervention results in savings down the road. A troubled student with a police officer to serve as a role model, and to talk with about problems is less likely later in life to have a number behind his name in the state’s criminal justice system.
