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Round Rock ISD police chief talks security following first week of school

Dennis Weiner is the newly appointed chief.

ROUND ROCK, Texas — Friday wrapped up the first week back to school for 50,000 students at Round Rock ISD, where parent Nancy Brown has a second-grader.

"He means the world. Of course, we ... cannot imagine our lives without him," said Brown.

One of Brown’s top priorities for her child is his safety.

"Safety measures are in place and .. that I feel comfortable dropping him off and knowing that he's going to be kept safe in there," she said.

So far, Brown said things have gone well.

For the school district's new police chief, Dennis Weiner, who is also a father to two daughters, that too is his priority, especially after what happened in Uvalde.

"It's everything. The reason we are on the campus is for students' safety, so we take that as our number one mission," said Weiner.

Weiner brings more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, including working with a school district's police department in South Florida before coming to Texas.

He said things have been going well so far in Round Rock this week. He has been busy spending time with parents, officers and staff, hearing their concerns.

"We want to make sure our exterior doors are always locked, with the exception of arrivals and dismissals. And during those times, the open doors are staffed so we make sure that we have accountability for what's happening," he said.

He said they check those exterior doors weekly. He also showed safety measures at the front of the school.

"This a video camera intercom system, so that each person that's coming in has to request entry into the building," he said.

Once inside the school, a person entering goes into another locked area called the vestibule.

"It can be a second look to make sure that they are not carrying anything suspicious, that there is no threat to school. And then, at this point, the admin people then can buzz them into the office," he said.

Weiner said their officers are trained for an active shooter, if an instance like that ever happened.

He is hoping for a safe and successful school year working with his officers to provide the safest environment for the kids.

"The best way for these kids to learn is to have a safe and secure environment to do that in, that's what our officers provide," said Weiner.

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