The Lexington Police Department is looking for school crossing guards. According to Lieutenant Chris Van Brackel, the department is allotted 76 guards and is 18 short, including alternates. Van Brackel said successful applicants receive about two hours of classroom training, including videos.
“And then we also go out to an intersection, and there's approximately another hour of live training out there, you know, demonstration and showing people what we do.”
Van Brackel said training also includes how to use whistles, stop signs, and a lighted traffic wand. Crossing guards wear high-visibility reflective vests and coats. Van Brackel said the biggest threats to students and crossing guards are distracted drivers and vehicle interiors designed to eliminate outside noise.
“Everybody's making a bigger and bigger screen up on the dashboard. We also all carry a screen with us with the phone. So we have all those, although those visual distractions for drivers.”
Van Brackel said ultra-quiet vehicle cabins make it harder for drivers to hear a crossing guard’s whistle.
Lexington school crossing guard information
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