Long Branch Looking To Hire School Resource Officers

LON BRANCH, NJ - The Long Branch Police Department is looking for candidates to fill the new position of Special Class III police officers, who would be assigned to guard schools in the city's school district.

The police department, the city and school officials have discussed hiring recently retired police officers and state troopers to work as security officers for the nine months of the school year. They would be under the supervision of the police department, Police Chief Jason Roebuck has 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 has 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 position is open to retired officers. Those who are hired 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, health care plans or enrollment in an State-administered retirement system, Roebuck has said.

The deadline for this hiring cycle is 4 p.m. on April 20, but the department will continue to accept resumes.

Resumes may be mailed to: City of Long Branch Police Department
Attn: Lt. Charles F. Shirley Jr., 344 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740.
Resumes may also be emailed to: cshirley@longbranch.org
For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/SLEOIII

Logo: Courtesy of Long Branch Police Department