Westfield Washington Schools and the Westfield Police Department (WPD) have a great relationship, which has been beneficial to both parties as well as for the safety of students and community members.
In addition to having five school resource officers (officers whose full-time post is within the school district), every one of Westfield’s schools is a police substation, which means any officer on duty, SRO or not, can stop in and get paperwork done and be a presence in the school building.
This school year, WPD has made a total of 4,197 visits to Westfield schools, and this doesn’t count the constant presence of the resource officers. This has led to principals, teachers and students having great relationships with local police officers and WPD’s timely responses in the event that a school has a safety situation.
Meet each of the five school resource officers (SRO) below.
Sgt. Tyler Dougherty
Sergeant Tyler W. Dougherty is an officer with the Westfield Police Department. He attended Wabash College prior to becoming a law enforcement officer. After graduating in 2009, he became a law enforcement officer with the Wayne County Sheriff Department in 2011. He served as a patrolman, Crash Reconstructionist, and Investigator for Crimes against Children until 2016. He began his career as an officer with the Westfield Police Department in 2015 and is a Crash Reconstructionist. He became an SRO in August 2016 and was promoted to Sergeant in 2020. He covers the elementary schools in Westfield, along with supervising the SRO program.
Ofc. Chad Tribbett
Officer Chad Tribbett has served with the Westfield Police Department for nine years. He started as an SRO in February 2019. As a graduate of WHS, he’s honored to be back in the building as the SRO to serve the staff and students.
Ofc. Joe Hopkins
Officer Joe Hopkins has been with the Westfield Police Department since 2004. He has served as a bike patrol officer, field training officer, traffic accident reconstructionist, and is an FAA-licensed drone pilot. He served in the U.S. Army prior to entering law enforcement. He is originally from Houston, Texas, and is a cum laude graduate of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oka. He became and SRO in October 2021, and he is enjoying the new opportunity and challenge.
Ofc. Nick Bonds
Officer Nick Bonds graduated from Decatur Central High School in Indianapolis. He attended Vincennes University and graduated with a law enforcement degree. He has over 10 years of experience in law enforcement.
Ofc. Daniel Trump
Officer Daniel Trump started with the Westfield Police Department in February 2022. Prior to switching departments, he was a law enforcement officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for three years. During his time with WPD, he has been certified as an Evidence Technician and serves on the WPD Honor Guard. He became an SRO in January 2023.