Dist. 87 wants a Glendale Heights cop as liaison

Usually, high schools and police liaison officers are paired off by towns.

Whatever town houses a school generally provides the police officer who works in the school full time, getting to know students and providing whatever law enforcement is needed.

Glenbard High School District 87, though, has a sizable student population, about 1,500 students, from one community in which a high school doesn't reside: Glendale Heights. Those students are divided among schools in three other towns. So any relationships students formed with liaison officers in middle school disappears freshman year.

District 87 is hoping to mend some of those gaps and make sure Glendale Heights programs are represented by introducing a fifth school resource officer next fall for its four schools. That person would float between the three schools Glendale Heights students attend: Glenbard West, Glenbard East and Glenbard North.

Though the plan needs final approval from the village and school board, both gave a preliminary thumbs-up and everyone's moving forward with the idea.

District 87 officials stressed the addition's not because of any increase in crime in the schools. It's a matter of continuity.

"During the two summer months we lose contact with our kids, where in the neighborhoods the police do have contact with them," said Rod Molek, District 87 assistant superintendent for human resources.

Glendale Heights Deputy Chief Tom Bialis said they're trying to work out a system where the new resource officer will spend a two-day rotation in each school, essentially returning to every building every six school days. Should anything require the officer stay longer in any one building, however, that could be adjusted.

The officer will not cycle through Glenbard South because the DuPage County sheriff's office provides a deputy to that school, and Glendale Heights doesn't supply students to that building.

The village and school district still are working out the financial aspects, though they are expected to share in the cost of the new officer.

Bialis said the police department will fill the school resource officer position with someone from its existing ranks. Molek said the goal is to have the officer identified and in place by the time school starts in late August.