Longview ISD Votes for District-Wide Police Department

LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) - The Longview Independent School District is currently working on setting up a new police department.

"Safety is our primary concern for our students. It’s essential that they feel secure," stated Samuel Kington, the LISD chief of facilities and operations.

At Monday's meeting, the LISD school board members emphasized safety by voting to create a systemwide police department. Despite this decision, some board members expressed worries regarding the potential development of an adverse and damaging law enforcement environment for the pupils.

"I'm not raising doubts. Each of us has a duty, including myself, to consider the long-term impact on the welfare of every student under our care," stated board member Ted Beard during the meeting.

"We aim to ensure that the students encounter recognizable faces when they come in, instead of facing new individuals every day," Kington stated.

The suggested model combines elements of both police officers and school marshals who have experience in law enforcement. It proposes having one marshal for every elementary school campus, amounting to nine overall, along with assigning one police officer to each secondary school campus, making it five in total.

Bond safety and security funds will cover part of the initial expenses.