After months of listening to parents and community members to find the best way to protect students, Mineola Independent School District has hired a Director of Safety and will form a police department.

Mineola ISD is in the process of creating a district police department with the Texas Commision on Law Enforcement. The hiring of personnel to assist with establishing the department was approved by the Board of Trustees on September 20.

Cody Castleberry will begin in a new role of Director of Safety until TCOLE approval is completed and Mineola becomes a commissioned agency. Pending completion of testing and commissioning, he will then assume the title of the Chief of Police for Mineola ISD. A second officer also will be hired for the department in the upcoming months.

Castleberry is a Mineola native who attended Mineola ISD and graduated from the Central Texas Police Academy in Bryan in 2006. He has more than 6 years experience in law enforcement, primarily at the Mineola Police Department, and has over 2,500 hours of training.

“I am truly honored to have been selected potentially to be the first Chief of Police for the Mineola ISD,” Castleberry said. “I am excited to serve the students, staff and families and look forward to building a positive relationship with everyone. I intend to have an open door policy and want everyone to know they can come to me with any issues or concerns they may have.”

Castleberry said the department will be structured based on community oriented policing and work closely with other law enforcement agencies in the area to ensure they are giving the students the best possible chance to prosper.