The Collinsville Independent School District (CISD) is starting the new school year with a major improvement – its own police department dedicated to the safety and security of the schools.
Officer David Walters began working for the Collinsville Police Department in March 2021. At the time, it was a small department consisting of the chief and three officers.
“Twenty-four-hour coverage in small towns wasn’t something you would see very often,” Walters said.
One day, Walters received a call at one of the Collinsville schools, and while he was attending to that situation, he got a priority call for a situation across town. Unable to leave his post at the school, the Tioga Police Department and Grayson County Sheriff’s Office had to step in.
In those circumstances, it could take anywhere from five to 45 minutes to get help. This was a turning point for Walters.
“I had this sudden realization, what if it had been the other way around? What if I had been tending to the call across town and the school had needed my help?” Walters said. “My wife is a fourth grade teacher there. My three kids are in school there. This suddenly became very personal to me.”
Walters talked with Collinsville Police Chief Jeff Ashabranner about his concerns and they developed an idea for the city police department to partner with the schools. The proposal was for the school district to have a contract position that would have a city police officer at the schools.
Walters took the idea to the city council and the school board. However, not long after, Collinsville got a new superintendent, Matthew Davenport. The board delayed the police plan to give Davenport time to get settled into his new position.
Eventually, Walters took the idea to Davenport, who liked the suggestion and encouraged Walters to present it to the school board again. However, Walters left that board meeting with mixed feedback. While they were overall excited about the idea, there were still questions about how to make it all work.
In the 2022-2023 school year, Walters started working as the School Resource Officer at the schools. This meant he worked for the city and they provided his equipment and benefit package, but his salary was paid for by the school district. Walters was working solely at the school campuses, floating between the elementary and high school.
At the end of the school year, Davenport approached Walters with an idea for the district to create its own police department. In the summer, Walters would still work for the city. Walters was on board.
In summer 2023, Walters was hired full-time with the CISD as Director of Safety and Security. He worked with state licensing for applications and in April 2024, everything was approved. The CISD police department was official.
For now, the department consists solely of CISD Police Chief Walters who offices out of the high school and floats between campuses. However, with the addition of a new school, the district will reassess their needs and consider growing the team. Until then, each school has armed teachers who serve as defenders and, with the leadership of Walters, help to ensure the safety of students, staff and facilities throughout the school district.
“The ultimate goal is to hire two more officers, one at each campus,” Walters said.
Walters is excited about the new position and what it means for the citizens of Collinsville.
“People tend to think that in a small town, nothing bad is going to happen. But bad things happen everywhere. We have to get out of that mentality,” Walters said. “[This position is] a big change from what I’m used to in law enforcement, but it’s really nice. It’s been a great start to the school year.”