On Tuesday, the City of Westfield, in partnership with Westfield Washington Schools (WWS), released school year-end statistics on the community’s new school security initiative.
A key component of the program is the Police Substation initiative, which provides space inside WWS school buildings to Westfield Police Department (WPD). When officers are working on reports, they are encouraged to visit a school substation in their assigned patrol district to complete office-related tasks.
From Aug. 7, 2018 to May 24, 2019, there were:
- 1,604 total directed school patrols, including 324 Police Substation Visits; and
- 828 hours of time WPD officers spent inside WWS buildings, conducting Police Substation visits and directed School Patrols.
It is important to note that these figures do not include the assigned School Resource Officers’ (SRO) activity and their time spent in schools on a daily basis.
Grate
Cook
“School security is a priority in Westfield,” said Mayor Andy Cook. “We came in to this school year looking at how we could strategically support our schools from a police perspective. We wanted a balanced approach across the district and we did that. I am proud of the innovation and dedication our officers and Police Department leadership have shown. This summer we will focus on identifying improvements we can make.”
“Moving forward, our goal is to continue with the increased and balanced visible presence at all schools and increase positive interactions between the police, students and staff resulting from the strong partnership between Westfield Washington Schools and the Westfield Police Department,” said Dr. Sherry Grate, Superintendent of Westfield Washington Schools. “Ensuring a safe classroom and campus environment is our primary concern and this partnership is another layer of security we can provide our students and families – and at no additional cost to taxpayers.”
In addition, the Westfield Police Department is conducting facility security audits at existing and new construction within the district.