Outgoing ISP chief to assess school safety
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January 22, 2013 |
 Governor
C.L. “Butch” Otter announced earlier this month
that Colonel Jerry Russell, who is retiring as
Idaho State Police director this month, has
agreed to assess and recommend possible safety
and security improvements in Idaho’s public
schools.
Russell will work with State Superintendent of
Public Instruction Tom Luna’s Department of
Education and local law enforcement and school
leaders to analyze the state of security in
Idaho schools in the wake of the December 14
shootings of students and staff at Connecticut’s
Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“Like everyone else, that heartbreaking tragedy
made me think first and foremost about the
safety of my own grandchildren and all the
students in Idaho’s schools,” Governor Otter
said. “That’s why I’ve asked Idaho’s ‘top cop’
to take on one more job for me.”
Russell is exceptionally well qualified for the
task. He served 26 years with the Oregon State
Police, rising from patrol officer to bureau
commander before becoming chief security officer
for Idaho’s Fourth Judicial District in 2001. He
became an exercise design specialist for the
Idaho Military Division in 2003, and was deputy
director for operations at the Idaho Bureau of
Homeland Security from February 2004 until being
appointed Idaho State Police director in January
2007.
Assessing and recommending security improvements
at Idaho’s schools will require a thorough
assessment of existing safe school laws and
policies, as well as evaluating “best practices”
and promising ideas being used at schools both
within and outside Idaho. Russell’s focus as ISP
director on building strong collaborative
relationships with local law enforcement
agencies throughout Idaho will help facilitate
that process.
“It’s an extremely sensitive issue and an
extremely important project, one that requires a
great deal of attention to detail,” Russell
said. “The first thing I’ll do is take a hard
look at what’s out there and determine what
needs to be done.” |
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