Bergen Prosecutor Forms School Security Task Force

Officials are set to inspect more than 160 Bergen County schools in an expanded security initiative formed after the Newtown elementary school massacre, the county prosecutor announced Monday.

Under a newly formed county task force, police chiefs in towns that requested the safety reviews will designate a police liaison to receive training from the prosecutor’s office and work with school officials to develop a security plan, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said. 

“This task force system will create a permanent security environment whereby local schools will have a greater access to information and assistance in their efforts to keep our schools safe,” Molinelli said in a statement.

The security inspections have been going on for several years, but demand for the assessments jumped significantly following the Connecticut school shooting, Molinelli said. So far, 166 schools are scheduled to be inspected.

The state's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness approved the standards used in the reviews, Molinelli added. Officials are working with police agencies across Bergen County on the initiative.

In January, the prosecutor’s office offered to provide security reviews to any school in the county, at no cost to taxpayers.