Ross Jones

Ennis ISD Police Chief Ross Jones said the explosion at EHS was caused by a chemical device.

Ennis Independent School District Police Chief Ross Jones spoke to Bowie Elementary students Monday about the importance of staying drug free.

"I love doing this the most," Jones said. "This is my favorite part of my job." Jones said he wanted each student to know they are special and loved by many people. "We need them to love themselves," Jones said. "When they do that they know not to put anything in their body that would hurt them." Jones told the students to beware of inhalants, which can be fatal and he told them not to take any prescription pills unless the bottle has their name on it and it was prescribed for them. Students were also warned to stay away from anything with a skull and crossbones symbol on it, which means the item is deadly. Jones was there to help celebrate drug-free month and Red Ribbon Week.

The district follows up that training with mandatory annual physicals even though that isn't required by the state and also provides the drivers with monthly safety classes taught by Ennis ISD Police Chief Ross Jones."Chief Jones holds classes once a month to go over safety concerns and issues as well as teaches precautionary measures," Doslich said.

However, Ennis ISD Police Chief Ross Jones is confident he and the district have worked out a plan to ease congestion in all areas of the district for parents and buses dropping off the more than 5,600 students that make up the EISD."We will have two school officers located at the Early Childhood Center and the Sixth Grade Center in the mornings to help direct parents as they bring their students to classes," Jones said.
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As with any new system, it will take some time for users to learn and Jones is asking the community for their patience while motorists learn the new route."There are bound to be bugs with any new system until everyone gets a routine down.We are asking that everyone be patient and courteous during this time," he said."We are also asking that everyone continue to observe the safety laws concerning speeding and wearing their safety belts because we will have a lot of students going to a lot of different places."The first day of school on Monday marks the first classes to be held in the new junior high school facility and the district is anticipating a little confusion the first week.Jones says that with everyone working together, he doesn't anticipate any major problems.He is also asking motorists to remember that with the beginning of school, the buses will be back on the roads and making frequent stops, so caution should be used when driving through the city for everyone not just parents with children attending school.

Ennis ISD police Chief Ross Jones said school district police departments push to fit all their work into an allotted number of contracted days as opposed to regular city police officers, who may work four days on and four days off, or similar shifts.

"(Chief) Ross (Jones) is just incredible, and we're able to do so much more."
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Jones said the results were encouraging - having only one vendor sell to a minor in each sting shows the community and its merchants are aware of the law. He said IMPACT Ennis, with its efforts to inform locals about the law, has had a strong effect in helping curb alcohol sales to minors.
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Jones said in his work in the district, where he teaches and mentors to young people in an effort to show them the dangers of negative behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse, he feels like the impact of bad choices is sometimes not hitting home.

"Assuming that nothing will happen has no survivability rate," Jones said. "Sometimes, it takes a tragic event to wake people up, and it seems more so these days."

Want to help?

IMPACT Ennis is looking for teenagers between the ages of 16-18 years old with no police record and a desire to fight teenage drinking for alcohol sales stings for the summer months. For more information, call EISD Police Chief Ross Jones at 972-872-3509.

To help get the word out about the "Click It or Ticket" campaign, EISD officers, along with Police Chief Ross Jones, were outside Ennis High School Monday morning passing out literature about the urgency to observe seat belt laws, but they weren't alone.State Highway Patrol officers were also present and EHS students had a hand in things as well.The students were stopping cars as they dropped off students to hand out literature regarding the campaign."The students are enjoying it," Jones said.
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Jones said enforcement is major but reminding motorists before that is also important."With 18 percent of all Americans failing to buckle up regularly, it's clear that far too many people still don't take belt laws seriously," Jones said.Jones also said among some groups, especially young men, the unbuckled rate is especially high and the fatal crash rate increases significantly at night. In 2005, safety belts prevented 15,700 fatalities, 350,000 serious injuries and $67 billion in economic costs associated with traffic injuries and deaths.In 2007, Texas had a safety belt use of 91.8 percent, with 89.1 percent safety belt use in pickup trucks."Worn correctly, seat belts have proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury in a crash by 45 percent for front-seat passenger vehicle occupants and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans," Jones said."In fact, data shows that more than three quarters (77 percent) of passenger vehicle occupants who were in a serious crash in 2006 and were buckled up survived the crash."Increased law enforcement activities, including seat belt checkpoints, will be conducted nationwide during the 2008 "Click It or Ticket" mobilization.Paid national advertising, as well as state advertising, will support the mobilization by promoting the life-saving benefits of regular seat belt use, especially nighttime belt use, to all motorists.Children and infants rely on their parents and guardians to protect them while riding in a vehicle and they are the victims that suffer the most if they are not secured correctly in the event of even a low-speed crash, much less a violent crash.Jones said we must teach them to observe all of the laws especially the ones that will save their lives one day."Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce motor vehicle crash fatalities," Jones said.