By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Veteran Decatur police officer Andrew Elwell has been named the new School Resource Officer (SRO) for Bellmont high and middle schools.
Police Chief Kevin Gerber made the recommendation to the city’s board of works and safety at its meeting Tuesday night and the board accepted it. At its following meeting, city council made the appointment official with its okay.
Elwell replaces Trent Busse, who leaves the post at the upcoming end of the school year as he has been named a sergeant with the local department, replacing Mark Cook, who is going into private business.
Gerber said three officers interested in the post were interviewed, sparking “a lot of discussions.”
Elwell is currently working with Busse at Bellmont as the school year winds down. In June, he will begin training with Koda, the K9 officer Busse began working with around this time a year ago, and brought to Bellmont when the school year began last August.
In July, Elwell will go into RSO training, getting ready for the August start of another school year.
“He’s excited about it,” Gerber said of Elwell.
The new SRO will complete five years with the Decatur PD in June.
Elwell has been a member of the Fort Wayne-based Air National Guard 102 Fighter Wing for some 10 years. He was deployed in early 2022 to Niger, Africa, exiting the local PD for several months.
Which led Councilman Matt Dyer to ask Gerber what would happen if Elwell is deployed again. “We’ll have to deal with it; we’ll figure it out,” Gerber replied.