LOCAL

Experts warn of shortage of armed guards in New Jersey schools

Deena Yellin
NorthJersey
"Most districts and police agencies were probably late out of the gate" when it comes to hiring Class III officers, says Saddle Brook Police Chief Robert Kugler, seen here in 2016.

As school districts across New Jersey clamor to hire armed guards, some law enforcement experts are concerned about a potential shortage of candidates equipped to serve as school officers.  

Beginning on Sunday, state requirements for special officers are tightening up. This comes on the heels of school shootings in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, that spurred many districts to look to hire. 

"Everyone wants to do it at the same time, so that makes it a problem," said Hasbrouck Heights Police Chief Michael Colaneri, who recently hired retired officers for the district. "The available pool is small, and will get even smaller in July." 

Fort Lee, Northern Valley Regional district, Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights, Woodland Park and Clifton are among numerous districts across North Jersey that plan to hire special officers to patrol schools beginning next school year, prompted to action in part by the 17 deaths at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February.

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Millions of dollars in state funding has been proposed that could help districts foot the bill. However, the districts may encounter difficulty, because of the stringent laws regarding special school officers in New Jersey.

What is a Class III officer?

Many schools nationwide hire SROs, School Resource Officers, who are full-time police officers employed by the police department. The National Association of School Resource Officers based in Hoover, Alabama, estimates there are over 20,000 SROs currently working around the nation. 

But a 2016 New Jersey law made it possible for retired officers to work in the schools as Class III Special Law Enforcement Officers. The uniformed, armed officers, work part time and get paid at a lower scale (about $30 or $40 an hour) than police officers and are not entitled to a pension or benefits for their service, making it the most affordable option for placing police in schools, said Patrick Kissane, founder of the New Jersey Association of School Resource Officers and Fort Lee's deputy police chief. 

Many New Jersey districts opt to hire a Class III officer over a civilian security guard because he can do more and has better training, said Kissane. For example, a Class III officer has full police powers that a security officer does not.  

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But it's not easy to become a Class III officer: The retired officers must pass background, medical and psychological tests, and be within five years of retirement from the police force. Beginning Sunday, state law will narrow that window to three years, making the pool of candidates even smaller, said Colaneri.  

Leaders of departments across North Jersey, including in Montvale, Little Falls, Ridgefield and Hasbrouck Heights, said there could very well be a shortage with the new law in effect and with more districts looking to hire the officers.

"Most districts and police agencies were probably late out of the gate to implement the Special III  agreement and hiring implementation due to both the legislation becoming effective and the new budget year of the districts and/or municipalities," said Chief Robert Kugler of Saddle Brook. "As such, the scramble to find eligible officers is on, and the three-year separation requirement further limits the eligible pool of applicants to choose from."  

Police Chief Thomas Gallagher of Ridgefield noted that his department has not had any retirements for several years so nobody would be eligible to apply for the position for quite a while. While districts are free to hire retirees from any police department, there's a big comfort factor in hiring someone from their own town, he said. 

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Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna observed that many people who retire from the force want to be done with policing for good. The position of school resource officer is not hard to fill, but "Finding qualified officers who want to do it is," he said. "We want to make sure we get good officers who get along with kids."

There's more to the job than being a guard, he and others said. They are expected to establish a rapport with the students and look for anyone who could pose a threat.

Sgt. Brian Metzler of Fair Lawn said: "It takes a special type of person to work in a school. You have to be able to have a relationship with the kids." He said school officers are also expected to serve as positive role models to students and often provide education on drugs and alcohol, vaping and bullying.

"Some officers want to retire for good. They don't want to have to qualify for firearms twice a year. There's a lot of requirements." 

Police and school leaders nationwide have expressed support for the value of having officers in schools. 

A school resource officer last month stopped an armed student from killing his classmates in Dixon, Illinois, by chasing down the student and shooting him in the shoulder. An officer at a high school in Great Mills, Maryland, was hailed a hero after he quickly shot a school shooter.  

And, in April, an officer stationed at Pascack Hills High School saved a choking teen's life. 

In April, an officer at Pascack Hills High School saved a choking teen's life.

Woodcliff Lake Police Chief Anthony Jannicelli said the officer who saved the student was a retired captain from his force who was hired as a Class III officer in the school. 

"You don't have to wait for a shooting incident for the officer to save a life," he said. "They are right there." 

The good news is that more retired police appear to be interested in qualifying for the position: In the past five years, more have signed up for the required 40-hour training course to become school guards, said Kissane. 

"We ran two or three classes a year with 25 students for the past 10 years. Now, since the new training laws, our numbers have grown to eight classes a year with 40 students per class." 

The association has trained about 1,200 police officers to be school officers in the past decade, and there's been a uptick in the numbers since Gov. Chris Christie passed legislation in 2016 regarding Class III officers in the schools.   

In Wayne, the process is under way, and Capt. Laurence Martin is confident. "We have a fairly large department so sometimes we have six retirees a year," he said. "If they ware interested, they will apply and will be vetted."