Cartoon characters from Disney’s “Zootopia” adorn the door of Chief Quinn Dobbins– a simple way to connect with Greenfield-Central students and staff.
It’s been one year since Greenfield-Central Community Schools launched its own police department. The first of its kind in Hancock County, the department elevates what school resource officers used to do by providing a dedicated officer to a school building and its campus.
Dobbins, who has led the department since November, has a strong resume of military and police experience, but deep Greenfield roots with a soft side for kids and cartoons.
The department works closely with city and county police departments, while knowing the population and buildings of each GC school closely. Local school leaders say they are pleased with the first year of the new police department.
A Disney fan and a dad himself, Dobbins is glad to be back in Greenfield and leading the department. And while “Zootopia” features a fox and bunny as the main characters, Dobbins says “Sheepdog” is the animal that best identifies a school police officer.
Sheepdog is a common term for a protector of a vulnerable school population, and GC schools are fortunate to have a dedicated team of law enforcement officers on staff.
“Traditional school resource officer programs often rely on outside agencies that also have responsibilities throughout an entire city or county,” Dobbins said. “Our officers are assigned directly to the schools every day, and are focused specifically on school safety, emergency preparedness, prevention, relationship-building, and being part of the daily school environment.”
Dobbins joined Greenfield-Central on Nov. 11, 2025. The Veterans Day hire was meaningful, given his military background.
Coming on board was a full circle moment: his office is based out of Weston Elementary School, which Dobbins actually attended himself as a child in the 1980s.
He is a graduate of Greenfield-Central High School, Class of 2000. He spent the last 25 years serving in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army; he was an explosive disposal technician and eventually retired from the Army as a Master Sergeant.
The military work shaped how he approaches leadership and staying calm under pressure. Dobbins, a married father of three teens/young adults, also worked with the Maryland State Police, and has attended advanced leadership training including the FBI National Command Force.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in emergency and disaster management, and a graduate certificate in leadership; he is currently working towards a master’s degree in homeland security and emergency preparedness.
Moving back from Maryland to Greenfield was a family decision: Dobbins is a fifth generation farmer, and his father asked him to return to central Indiana to lead the family farm.
The timing was right with the opening of the Greenfield-Central Police Department. The school’s first chief left for personal reasons, and Dobbins found the job to be a perfect fit with this phase of life upon returning home.
“The school corporation and the teachers have been very open in having us here,” Dobbins said.
Dobbins also has a personal family connection to the schools: his grandfather, Ernest “Ernie” Tidrow was principal of Greenfield-Central High School for many years, and even helped with the transition back in the 1960s when Hancock Central and Greenfield high schools combined.
“I also felt strongly that school-based officers should be more than just a response resource for emergencies,” Dobbins said. “They should be trusted, visible, well-trained professionals who are part of the daily school environment and positive relationships within it.”
One of the first changes he made was ensuring each officer wore a uniform. He wants officers to be visible in case of an emergency, and also build a relationship with students to know that officers in uniform are people that can be trusted.
All Greenfield-Central police officers are fully certified law enforcement officers through the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. They are trained in firearms, emergency vehicle operations, defensive tactics, legal updates and other continuing education standards. They are also required to complete training under the National Association of School Resource Officers, focusing on student interaction, school safety planning, threat assessment and more.
“From the beginning, one of my goals has been building a department made up of capable, professional officers who are highly trained and prepared to respond if something critical ever happens,” Dobbins said. “School policing requires officers who can communicate well, build trust, and work with students and staff every day, but it also requires officers who are operationally ready and able to respond effectively during emergencies.”
Other officers include Officer Ron Chittum, covering the north sector of Maxwell Intermediate, Eden Elementary and the transportation office; Officer Ted Munden, covering the east sector of JB. Stephens Elementary School; Officer Wendel Jaggers, covering the west sector of Greenfield Central Junior High School and Cougar Cubs Childcare; and Officer Travis Owens, covering the alpha sector of Greenfield-Central High School and The Academy.
An officer will soon be hired for Harris Elementary School.
Most police officers have a dedicated office space or work area within their schools, as well as marked police vehicles, department uniforms, emergency medical equipment, communications equipment and more.
“We also work closely with Hancock County’s 911 center and emergency management system,” Dobbins said. “As we continue to grow, we are continuing to build out additional equipment, training capability, and operational resources. One thing that’s important to me is making sure officers are properly trained before new equipment or responsibilities are issued. I want the department to grow the right way as we continue moving forward.”
Dobbins said the GCPD coordinates on emergency planning and incident response with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and the Greenfield Police Department. School safety is a shared responsibility, he said, and strong communication is extremely important.
“In a major emergency, all agencies would work together under a unified command structure,” Dobbins said. “We may wear different patches, but at the end of the day everyone involved has the same goal — protecting the students, staff, and community.”
A professionals development day for teachers this spring featured the Greenfield-Central Police Department, where Dobbins spoke with teachers about emergency responses and situational awareness.
“From the law enforcement side, we spend a lot of time training for and thinking about those types of critical incidents,” he said. “Most educators understandably do not live in that world every day, so part of my goal was helping bridge that gap and provide practical understanding without creating unnecessary fear or anxiety. The goal is not to create fear, but to create understanding and preparedness. When people have some level of training and mental framework beforehand, they are far more capable of making good decisions, staying focused, and helping protect students and one another during a crisis.”
Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin says having highly-trained law enforcement officers in all of GC schools should provide Greenfield parents with peace of mind.
“Chief has some amazing law enforcement and military experience that have been very helpful to our school corporation in his first year with us,” Olin said. “He is intelligent, hard-working, and very thorough in the work that he leads for GC.”
Chief Dobbins has worked incredibly hard to build the GCPD, added Jason Cary, assistant superintendent for GC. He has hired the right people and developed relationships with local agencies.
Navigating the first year with the new department has been a learning experience, but one that is undoubtedly beneficial to the Greenfield-Central community.
“We have had some growing pains along the way – just as any new department would have. But we have learned from them and quickly pivoted in a new direction,” Cary said. “I think the big challenge was this: there is a school way to do things, and a law enforcement way to do things. And those don’t always align. So Chief Dobbins and I have had to navigate those waters. But we are both really good about sitting down, talking about both sides, and finding the right balance.”
Cary appreciates Dobbins’ extensive law enforcement and military background, and how he is detail-oriented. Combining that with his intelligence and roots in Greenfield, Dobbins is the perfect person to lead the department.
“Nothing is going to rattle him, and he is someone who works tirelessly to be the best he can be. But he can also welcome kindergarteners in the morning at Weston as they get out of their vehicles,” Cary said. “You rarely find someone with those different skill sets.”
As a parent himself, Cary says he feels reassured having a police officer in every building at Greenfield-Central. Research shows that the No. 1 way to keep kids safe in schools is to have an armed, trained police officer protecting them.
“We have a great department who actively works to keep our kids safe while developing great relationships with our staff and our kids,” he said. “These officers are there welcoming kids in the morning, supervising lunches, checking doors, and assisting staff when necessary. This is an investment in the safety of our students and staff members that you don’t see other districts making, and I think it shows how committed we are in this area.”
By Maribeth Vaughn
“We have a great department who actively works to keep our kids safe while developing great relationships with our staff and our kids,” Dr. Cary said.