Full Notification

In recent days, media reports surrounding the wage dispute between the Fraternal Order of Police and the EVSC have led to concerns about safety in our schools. There have been questions as to how the proposed actions by the FOP will impact the police presence in EVSC Schools. We want to clarify some points in an effort to reassure the community that school safety remains a priority for the Evansville Police Department.
The FOP represents members of the Evansville Police Department and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. Members of both agencies currently work in an off-duty capacity for the EVSC. The current conversation about wages does not involve the administrations of either agency.
The Evansville Police Department has several safety measures in place to ensure a safe learning environment. The multifaceted approach recognizes there are many issues to consider when dealing with the safety of our children. They include, but are not limited to, School Liaison Officers in each high school district- including Parochial Schools. Our Crime Preventions Officers use schools in their assigned area as their primary office work space. We have directed patrols for motor patrol officers during school hours. We also have trained school crossing guards who serve as eyes and ears who can alert us to issues as students arrive and depart their schools. In addition, all sworn on-duty EPD employees are available to respond to any incident in the city, including an incident at a school.
All of these measures consist of on-duty resources that will not be impacted by any decisions related to the wage dispute. In addition to these boots on the ground resources, we will continue to work with the EPD training unit, the EVSC Police Department, and EVSC staff to ensure school safety training needs are met.