School Police Officers Sworn In For New Year In Parsippany District

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Parsippany Township officials have officially sworn in seven returning Special Law Enforcement Officers Class III (SLEO), to help maintain school safety in the district.

SLEO officers George Petersen, John Palardy, Fred Arnold, John Orrico, Daniel Cicala, Ed Lepre and Mike Ruggier were sworn in during a ceremony on Jan. 4, hosted by Mayor James Barberio.

SLEO officers are retired law enforcement officers hired to provide school security and fulfill safety duties in schools, and they are supervised by the local police departments throughout the state, including Parsippany.

Although they are funded through the Board of Education budget, they are still considered members of the local police departments.

The eligibility requirements for a Class III officer are:

• Be a retired law enforcement officer less than 65 years old who served as a duly qualified, fully trained, full-time police officer in any municipality or county of New Jersey, or as a member of the New Jersey State Police, and was separated from that prior service in good standing within three years of appointment as a Class III officer.
• Be capable of passing firearms qualifications as mandated by the New Jersey Attorney General's guidelines.
• Applicants who are offered a Class III position will be required to pass a medical examination, psychological screening, and drug screening pursuant to the N.J. AG Drug Testing Policy.
• Be a resident of New Jersey with a valid New Jersey driver's license.
• Applicants must successfully pass a background investigation.
• Applicants must possess a New Jersey PTC Basic Police Officer or NJSP Academy Certification.
• Must be physically capable of performing the functions of the position.
• Applicants must provide a letter of good standing from the Chief of Police or Officer in Command of the agency they retired from, including their dates of employment, type of retirement, and good standing status.

“I would like to welcome back these returning officers and thank them for keeping our schools and community safe,” Barberio said.