Nationally known
as a leader in
school safety
and security, the
Cherokee County School
District School Police
Department is focused on
continuous improvement.
Established 22 years
ago, CCSD’s School Police
Department is one of only
five school district police
departments in the state to
have earned top honors in
the field. Since 2006, the
Department has been
recognized as a “Certified
Agency” under the Georgia
Law Enforcement Certification
Program having
demonstrated its commitment
to law enforcement
excellence by meeting or
exceeding all applicable
standards.
The Department, led by
Chief Buster Cushing,
consists of 20 police officers
certified by the Georgia
Peace Officers Standards
and Training
Council, an emergency
management facilitator,
emergency communications
facilitator, terminal
agency coordinator and
office staff. The police
officers have been deputized
by Cherokee County
Sheriff Frank Reynolds to
enhance their authority and
ability to serve and protect
their community.
22 CLASS ACT | 2021-2022
The Department’s many
responsibilities include
assigning certified police
officers to each School
Innovation Zone; providing
proactive safety planning
and training for schoolbased
staff; providing
parent/community safety
education programs;
facilitating background
checks on employees and
volunteers; and conducting
criminal and administrative
investigations.
A key focus for Chief
Cushing since taking office
in 2019 has been an emphasis
on community
partnerships. During his
tenure, CCSD has undertaken
numerous
multi-agency training
opportunities with other
local law enforcement
agencies and public safety
departments including
tabletop drills, Code Red
drills and evacuation and
reunification drills. He also
has encouraged officers to
serve on community organization
boards that focus
on child and community
safety, ranging from the
Children’s Haven, which
includes the CASA program,
to Drug Free Cherokee.
In February 2020,
Chief Cushing and his team
led a multi-agency emergency
response drill to
practice school evacuation
and reunification plans.
The drill was held
during the winter break to
avoid disrupting classes,
with activity taking place at
Cherokee High School in
Canton, CCSD’s offices in
Canton, and First Baptist
Church of Woodstock.
Hundreds of law enforcement
and public safety
officers, volunteer
role-players including
students and parents, and
CCSD employees worked
together to act out an emergency
scenario at the
school, evacuation of the
school, and reunification of
students and staff with
their families at the church.
The event was coordinated
by the CCSD School
Police Department with
Cherokee Fire and Emergency
Services, the Cherokee
Sheriff’s Office; Canton,
Woodstock, Holly Springs
and Ball Ground Police
Departments; Woodstock
Fire Department, and the
Cherokee Marshal’s Office,
911 Center and Emergency
Operations Center. Officers
from Cherokee and across
the state also participated
as drill evaluators.
“No educator wants to
imagine an emergency
happening at a school, but
we must be prepared,”
Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Brian V. Hightower
SAFE & SECURE
CCSD School Police Stay Focused on Safety
While Building Rapport with Students
Officer Ryan Bleisath gives a group hug to preschool students.