HISD police ready for back to school traffic

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- More than 200,000 students are expected to head back to school in Houston's Independent School District today.

The return to the classroom means added traffic across the city. HISD police chief Robert Mock spoke with Eyewitness News about the preparations.

Mock told us around 200 officers have been visiting schools for weeks. They've been looking at traffic patterns and making plans to keep kids safe.

To give you an idea about the logistics behind back to school, Mock told us expect to see around 900 buses back on the roadways. He said pack some patience as many new students and parents get use to the new routine.

"We have a motto here. We're never going to sacrifice safety for convenience," said Chief Mock. "We're going to make sure our kids are safe."

Eyewitness News went behind the scenes, riding with HISD police as they fanned out across the city. They told us they plan to enforce speeding laws inside school zones and will be closely monitoring the more than 600 crossing locations near Houston schools.