Long Branch Considers Retired Police Officers To Staff Schools

LONG BRANCH, NJ - Long Branch is considering hiring armed, retired police officers to staff the district's schools during the school year, Police Chief Jason Roebuck said.

The partnership between police, the city and the school district has been discussed recently. Officers hired would be called Class 3 Special Officers, a position created last year, the chief said.

The department would hire recently retired police officers and state troopers for work as school security officers for nine months of the school year. They would be under the direction of the police department, Roebuck said.

The school district currently does not have any officers assigned to schools on a full-time basis as school resource officers. However, officers have been walking through the schools and interacting with students for the past two years, he said.

"Having an armed officer in the school does not guarantee anyone's safety, of course," the chief said. "But it is another layer of security, and the most effective security systems have many layers. The current security that the school provides will still also be in place, and the officers will work hand in hand with them to enhance the overall security presence."

The Class 3 officers would have to go through SRO training to work in the schools. The pay scale for the officers would be "significantly less" than the pay scale for traditional full-time officers. They would not be eligible for pensions or health care plans, the chief said.

"We feel this program will increase the safety and security of our schools at a very reasonable cost, which is a win for everyone involved," Roebuck said.

Image: Courtesy of the Long Branch Police Department

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