The Munster Police Department currently employs two school officers, Officer James Ghrist (836-6639, elementary schools) and Officer Gabriel Isenblatter (836-6629, Wilbur Wright MS and Munster High School). Our school officers assist with concerns and take reports at both the public and parochial schools upon request and provide patrol of the school grounds throughout the school year including during sporting events, fun fairs, and other school-based activities.
In addition, our school officers are
both certified through the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy and the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO). They attend regular safety training and meet with the police and school administrators on a quarterly basis to discuss any safety issues or upcoming events. They also assist school administrators with building security assessments.
Officer Ghrist and Officer Isenblatter are certified Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Instructors and provide the D.A.R.E. curriculum to almost 2,000 students from grades K-8 each school year. They also provide additional safety talks for students at the request of staff members. Officer Ghrist presents the program at the three public and two parochial elementary schools while Officer Isenblatter is based at Munster High School and instructs the program for 8th graders at Wilbur Wright Middle School.
In addition to these duties, Officer Ghrist is also available to assist with home and business security assessments, station tours, community safety talks, and child safety seat installations. He also supervises the Munster Crime Watch programs, the National Night Out Against Crime, the Cops & Kids holiday shopping program, the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) Program, and the annual Police & Fire Charity Softball Event.
Officer Isenblatter runs the Munster Police Explorers Program, investigates school bus stop arm violations, and also serves the department as a field training officer, evidence technician, and bicycle officer.
Please call 911 immediately to report any suspicious activity or safety concerns in our school zones.