VETERAN LAW ENFORCEMENT officer Bobby Rachel started work this month as chief of the Fairfield Independent School District police department. The Fairfield Independent School District Police Department formed last year grew a little this month with the addition of a department chief.

Veteran law enforcement officer Bobby Rachel started his job as police chief on April 1 and officially was sworn in last week at the school board meeting.

Rachel, 32, joins school resource officers Billy Barlow and Glenda Bass to make a 3-officer department.

“I’m excited,” the chief declares. “I like working with kids of all ages.”

FISD superintendent Katie Ryan had been acting police chief, but it was determined that the chief was required to hold a Texas Peace Officer’s Certificate.

School trustees decided to hire a chief to meet requirements, plus another officer is believed to be needed when the new intermediate campus opens in May.

The school resource officers patrol the senior and junior high, elementary and alternative schools.

FISD is setting up a central police department at 313 W. College, the principal’s office in the old elementary school wing.

Barlow has an office at Fairfield high school and Mrs. Bass offices at the junior high.

Rachel points out that all three officers will perform the same duties, but he gets to do the paperwork as chief.

He already is working on upcoming officer training and developing material for classroom presentations to students.

Educational programs for students will encourage them to make wise deci- sions.

The chief says there are three principles under which the school officers work—- prevention, intervention and education.

Rachel was reared in Kaufman, graduating Kaufman high school in 1985, earned his peace officers’ certificate through East Texas Police Academy and went to work as a patrolman with Kaufman Police Department in January 1986.

He worked at KPD for three and one-half years, then joined Mesquite Police Department, serving as a patrolman, detective and school resource officer.

The FISD chief moved to Fairfield in May 2007 to take a job as criminal investigator with Freestone County Sheriff’s Office.

Rachel worked at the sheriff’s office until February 2009 when he took a leave from law enforcement to join Eagle Insurance Services in Fairfield.

The FISD post came open and the veteran officer decided to continue a career that already has spanned 24 years.

“It’s just a great opportunity to work with students and staff, and be a part of a successful and great district,” Rachel says.

The chief and wife Kim, seventh grade English teacher at FJHS, are parents of two children, Luke, an eighth grade student, and Erin, a second grade student.

The family attends Calvary Baptist Church.