HOUMA, La. — The campus of Acadian Elementary in Houma was quiet Thursday afternoon. Students were back home safely after a day in the classroom. That’s how police chief Dana Coleman wants every day at every school to end.
“We’re doing everything in our power to ensure the safety of the children that attend the schools within our area,” said Coleman.
Chief Coleman says he routinely increases the number of officers on campuses at the beginning and end of school years, but the end of this year will have even more.
“In the wake of what occurred in Texas we wanted our uniform patrol officers as well as our non-uniformed patrol officers to show a presence in the schools inside our city,” said Coleman.
That means more officers patrolling hallways and doing random walk throughs. The plan even caught the eye of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff who plans the same type of effort for schools outside the city.
“Now we need to find out that long term solution,” said Shari Champagne.
As a grandmother of school aged children, Champagne says having more officers in place does give a sense of relief, but only in the short term. She hopes lasting solutions can be found before another tragedy happens.
“Instantly the only thing you can think of is it happens to anyone. This could happen to anyone. This could be my grandchild in a school,” said Champagne.
As executive director of ‘You B the Change,’ a youth advocacy organization, Champagne says talk of change tends to fades, but worries of parents, grandparents, and teachers are always present.
“So often, such a horrible tragedy is, not forgotten, but we get complacent,” said Champagne.
That’s a mindset Coleman doesn’t want to be in, especially when it comes to students.
“These kids make up a small percentage of our population but they are one hundred percent of our future,” said Coleman.
That’s a future Chief Coleman says his officers will continue to serve and protect.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.