School Liaison

School Resource Officer Program

The East Moline Police Department works closely with the area school districts to help provide a safe and secure learning environment. This partnership with the school districts and law enforcement provides added security, education, and community enhancement to our school systems. Officers work closely with teachers, administrators and students to accomplish this mission.

United Township High School

The East Moline Police Department, in partnership with the United Township High School (UTHS) District, created a School Resource Officer Position. This police officer is assigned to UTHS on a full time basis. He works with the administration of UTHS and the Police Department to deter, investigate and solve criminal activity at the school. The officer also works with students in a variety of situations and acts as a friend and confidant.

The UTHS School Resource Officer's other services include:

  • Assist school personnel in maintaining a safe school environment.
  • Take police reports for violations of the law and investigate such complaints.
  • Build better relations between police and school employees and also between police and students.
  • Present education programs for school staff such as gang awareness.
  • Provide classroom presentations to students in drivers education and other classes.

UTHS Crime Stoppers

The school resource officer is also the advisor for the UTHS Crime Stoppers. The Crime Stoppers board is currently made up of 23 student volunteers. The board meets regularly to determine the amount of reward to be given to someone reporting a crime. The students do not investigate the crimes, nor do they know the names of the individuals involved. Any student can contact a teacher, counselor, dean, student supervisor or the resource officer with information and their identity will be kept confidential.

East Moline School District 37

The East Moline Police Department, in partnership with the East Moline School District 37 created a School Resource Officer Position. This position was started in the fall of 1998. The police officer spends each school day working between Glenview Middle School, Bowlesburg, Hillcrest, Ridgewood, and Wells Elementary schools. The combined total of students is over 2,400 for the entire school district. This is an expansion of the Community Oriented Policing Program.

The school resource officer does follow-up investigations that usually involve students from the school district. Not all of his duties deal with police work. This officer also provides classroom instruction on everything from bicycle safety to Constitutional law dealing with Constitutional Amendments such as the 4th (search and seizures), 5th (rights of the accused), and the 6th (right to a speedy trial by jury).

Our police officer also meets with students/parents with various problems and counsels them and directs them to the proper help agency. The school resource officer is very approachable and encourages students to come see him with their problems. His goal for all of his students is to develop high moral values and learn from their mistakes.

But, most importantly, the police officer is in the schools to provide a sense of security to the students and parents. Also the students can learn at any age that a policeman is a person, just like anyone else, and is there to help them in anyway they can.