Santa Maria school district gets patrol car
SANTA MARIA — The police department for the Santa Maria Independent School District, which went into operation last fall, now has a patrol car, Police Chief Daniel Cruz said Monday.
The 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe will be used to patrol the campuses of Santa Maria High School, Middle School and Elementary School and will provide a deterrent to speeders and lawbreakers in the small unincorporated town, Cruz said.
"If an arrest is made, we can take them straight to the county jail in Olmito, or to the juvenile center in San Benito."
Having the police cruiser parked in front of the school district will also likely have an effect on criminal activity and traffic violations, Cruz said, noting drug cartel activity and other crime sometimes affecting the Texas side of the river. In addition, the school district police can provide additional traffic control on busy Military Highway near the school.
Although there haven’t been any gang or drug problems on the small campus with about 800 students, there are occasional fights, he said.
The three-man department that includes himself, 29-year veteran Ernesto Barajas and Alfonso Guerra, was formed because the school board was concerned about the school campus’ location about a mile from the U.S.- Mexico border, Cruz said.
Although teachers and other school district staff members stay alert for any problems, having three certified peace officers on hand whenever school is in session, during sports events and other after-school activities, will provide much more security than in the past, Cruz said.
After a school board member mentioned to him that the new department had no official car, Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio said he and District Attorney Armando Lucio decided to see if one of a group of seized vehicles could be turned over to the new police department.
"I checked with the DA and the county legal department to see if it was OK to give the school district one of our seized vehicles," the sheriff said. The Tahoe was equipped with a set of overhead lights from surplus equipment at the sheriff’s office and they were repaired and put back into service, Lucio said.
Santa Maria ISD will be in contact with the sheriff’s department and constable and able to respond to emergencies in the area, whether on the school campus or nearby when necessary, Cruz and the sheriff said.
