Indiana's school safety director visits Milan

(MILAN, Ind.) – Indiana’s Director of School Safety made a visit to Milan on Wednesday morning. 

Julie Smith is the first-ever director of the Indiana Office of School Safety (OSS) which was created by Governor Mike Braun in 2025. 

The office is within the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for conducting safety reviews, overseeing school safety specialist training, and providing support to school corporations.

Smith is a 20-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department and is the president of the Indiana School Resource Officers Association. She is also a nationally-certified instructor of school safety officers. 

She spoke with Milan teachers and administrators about her role as well as the accessibility of her agency.

“We’re not just an office in Indianapolis that is out of reach for people. We want teachers and schools to reach out to us whenever they need assistance in any way,” Smith said. 

Milan School Resource Officer Dan Goris said Smith and her office are an asset to schools both locally and statewide.

"She her and her team are a huge resource when it comes to school safety and security for all schools and I encourage anyone to reach out to them," Goris said.

Smith noted how Indiana is among the national leaders when it comes to school safety and said her office works to strengthen that position even more. 

“Parents have an expectation that when they send their child to school, they are going to come back the same way they left. That means we each have a huge responsibility to ensure we are locked in on preparedness,” Smith told The 812.

She encourages local educators to subscribe to the OSS bi-weekly newsletter which you can access by clicking this link. 

“If you work with kids during the school day, you are the critical piece of school safety and we want to keep you updated and involved,” Smith added.