One of Greg Grostefon’s first orders of business as principal of Columbia Middle School will be addressing the school’s gang graffiti problems.
Grostefon will attend the National Gang Crime Research Center’s 2008 11th International Gang Specialist Training Program from Aug. 6-8 in Chicago, and he hopes to bring back information about gangs to share with the public.
“We do have students in our school affiliated with gangs in certain ways, more or less to show off,” he said. “I don’t want to make it sound like a huge deal, but it needs to be addressed.”
He said most of the problems included students writing graffiti in the bathrooms.
“I want it gone from CMS and I think we’ll be able to do it,” he said.
In January, Logansport detective Rob Smith said most of the graffiti in Logansport was done by middle school-aged kids
“Any time we catch anyone defacing property, we invoke the discipline code,” Grostefon said.
Grostefon said he was also concerned with gang-related clothing. He said he believes students are just copying what they see in the media.
“For them, it’s a cool thing to do,” he said.
The school’s dress code bars students from wearing “... apparel, jewelry, make-up accessory, notebook, or manner of grooming which, by virtue of its color arrangement trademark or any other attribute denoting membership in a gang. ...”
At the conference, Grostefon will network with law enforcement, corrections and private sector professionals from across the country and abroad.
In the fall, Grostefon said he wants to bring his knowledge to a public forum for both Columbia and Lincoln middle schools. He said he wants to bring a speaker in and also have the Logansport Police Department there.
“We want to educate the public as much as we can about youth gangs,” he said. “We want to let them know what’s out there.”
Melissa Soria may be reached at (574) 732-5143 or via e-mail at melissa.soria@pharostribune.com
Local News
Tackling gang graffiti a priority
- Local News
-
-
Not forgotten
A plaque in Mount Hope Cemetery near a flagpole dedicated to those from Logansport and Cass County who served in the World War reads: “Let those who come after see that these men shall not be forgotten.”
-
LHS freshmen ace algebra ECA
Logansport High School administrators were “ecstatic” last week over results from the statewide algebra I end-of-course assessment that showed passing marks for all the freshmen who took the exam.
-
Logan man hands Indy 500 winner milk
Logansport resident Dave Forgey remembers listening to the Indianapolis 500 on the radio as a kid while his cousins and siblings would gather for a picnic.
- 2012 Lewis Cass graduation
-
Former LPD officer Leal turns himself in
Former Logansport police officer Carlos Paul Leal was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of theft, and officials Saturday said the counts stem from two separate investigations.
-
9-1-1 dispatchers will soon be able to text
Cass County dispatchers will be able to text callers starting this summer — a move that is reflective of where emergency communication services are heading nationwide.
-
Andersons officials predict consistent demand for corn
Farmers, elevator operators and other business associates joined local officials and community leaders to hear from the company’s president and its ethanol group president about industry progress since the plant was built.
-
Former LPD officer arrested, accused of theft
Former Logansport police officer Carlos Paul Leal was arrested Friday afternoon on two charges of theft, according to information obtained today by the Pharos-Tribune.
-
No jail for driver in fatal hit-and-run
A 25-year-old Logansport man admitted Thursday to leaving the scene of a deadly wreck last year, but he will not serve any time in jail as the result of a plea agreement.
-
Board backs 51 percent spike in utility rates
For Paul Hartman, the issue facing the Logansport Stormwater Management Board is pretty simple.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
