School Resource Officer

About

The Hobart Police Department’s School Resource Officer (SRO) Program, is part of HPD’s focus on better serving the city through Community Oriented Policing. Hobart has two specially trained officers assigned to the School City of Hobart.

 Sergeant Monte White is the most recent SRO being assigned in 2017. In addition to being a 13 year veteran of the Hobart Police Department he also serves as coordinator for the Police Department CAPS program. The CAPS program provides teens an opportunity to get together and have fun while engaging in sports.

Corporal Jimenez has been assigned as an SRO since 2016, to serve Hobart Schools. He is a H.H.S. Class of 2002 Alumni, Hall of Honors. After High School he attended IUN, graduating Class of 2006 with a degree in Criminal Justice. Corporal Jimenez has been a sworn Officer with Hobart Police Department since 2006.

Serving the Hobart Police Department since 2002, Corporal David Beaham became an SRO in 2019 and was assigned to Joan Martin Elementary. He holds an Associate of Arts Degree and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems. Corporal Beaham was also a founding member of the Hobart Police Department Honor Guard.

Cpl. Joe Clemmons is a 19 year veteran at the Hobart Police Department. Born and raised here, Cpl. Joe Clemmons was a member of the Hobart football 1993 State Championship team, and is a 1996 graduate.  After an Honorable discharge from the United States Navy in 2001, Cpl Clemmons was sworn in as a Hobart Police Officer.  Cpl. Clemmons previously served as SRO from 2010-2015 for the School City of Hobart where he received the first ever Indiana School Resource Officer of the year award.   During his time at the Hobart Police Department, Cpl. Clemmons has earned his Masters degree in Public Safety Administration, and a bachelors in Public Safety Management from Calumet College of St. Joseph with a GPA of 3.95.  Cpl. Clemmons is currently an elected official on the Hobart Township Board.

Officer Matt Bisig became a SRO for the School City of Hobart in 2019. Moreover, Officer Bisig became a police officer for the City of Hobart in 2007 and is graduate of the Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (NILEA). Officer Bisig is a member of the department’s Honor Guard. In 2018, Officer Bisig retired as a Major/O-4 from the Army/Army National Guard after 25+ years and is a veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Also, Officer Bisig is a graduate of the US Army Command General Staff College-ILE and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science/Criminal Justice.

Officer Art Azcona has been assigned as Liberty SRO since 2018. He brings with him a total of 26yrs Law Enforcement experience and continued love for the job.

Mission Statement

To maintain a clean, safe, secure, and uninterrupted learning environment for the students, staff, administration, and parents of School City of Hobart to provide concentrated assistance in implementing sound crime and violence reduction programs, including components of a safe school climate, community involvement, and building security and the fostering of cooperative relationships between Hobart Police Department and the School City of Hobart.

Roles

A school resource officer fills many different roles within his or her school:

• The SRO is a vital member of the school’s administrative team, helping to solve problems within the school community.
• The SRO is an educational resource for students, teachers, administrators and parents.
• The SRO provides students with a positive role model and a balanced view of law enforcement.
• The SRO is a proactive law enforcement officer dealing with law related issued on and off of campus.

  Mentoring

  Mentoring is the central focus of the program. SROs have the opportunity to form lasting impressions on young people. To help students succeed, the SRO provides guidance, tutoring and coaching to all students.
  

  Law Enforcement Officer

  Any law related issue that arises on campus is the SRO’s responsibility. In many ways, his/her school is no different than any other patrol beat. Whether it is child abuse, disorderly conduct, theft or some type of assault, the SRO is there to handle it quickly and professionally. As a Community Police Officer, the SRO is charged with proactively addressing the crimes that occur on campus, both through enforcement and education. Every school is different, so each SRO must tailor his/her method of operation to both the specific problem and the school.
  
  Teacher/Trainer
  The SRO is available as a guest speaker or as a resource to nearly every classroom within the school.
  

  Counselor

  The SRO is a resource for faculty, staff, parents and students while performing informal counseling and/or lending advice. These officers have received extensive training regarding programs and services available to handle problems and conflicts. Getting the right kind of help to those that need it is one of the SRO’s highest priorities.

For more information on our School Resource Officer Program view our SRO Brochure(PDF).