Portage elementary schools now have dedicated school resource officers.
Portage Township Schools already had three full-time school resource officers from the Portage Police Department and another from the Porter County Sheriff's Office. But Portage Police Chief Michael Candiano says they rarely had time to visit the eight elementary schools. He says he's worked with the school district to add more officers on a part-time basis.
"Above and beyond their normal patrol duties, they're signing up for essentially part-time shifts, and they're getting into the schools," Candiano told the city council Tuesday.
He said it's more than just a safety measure. "Number one, we've been working on this for a couple months, so it's not a knee-jerk reaction to what's occurred recently. And the second thing is that above and beyond the safety, just the relationships that these officers make with kids is such a huge thing," Candiano explained.
Similar adjustments are being made in Valparaiso, where a new full-time school resource officer will be shared by the elementary schools.