Chief White says this move is a “shift from being reactive to proactive.”
A resolution authorizing a shared service agreement between Mantua Township and the Mantua Township Board of Education was passed on March 19. This agreement places one school resource officer in the school district for 20 hours a week, dividing time among all three schools.
Jim Fellon is the hired officer for the position. According to Chief Darren White, Fellon is a Mantua resident and retired officer from the Woodbury Police Department.
Fellon is a special officer class II, which allows for his service in areas such as the courtroom and event security within the township along with school security. The officer will be armed.
“This type of policing is a paradigm shift from being reactive to proactive,” White said.
Mantua is not alone in this move toward further school safety.
In a February New York Times article detailing heightened security measures at East Brunswick High School in Central Jersey, the article states “East Brunswick’s move comes as other schools contemplate additional security. Around the country, more than 42 percent of schools now have school resource officers, law enforcement officers who have arrest authority and have specialized training, according to a 2017 report from the National Center for Education Statistics.”
While many school districts around the country are amplifying safety measures in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., shooting, the Mantua School District has been considering implementing a special resource officer for some time.
Fellon will take his post in early April.
“He will obviously help with security, but school resource officers are also very useful as they interact with the students in a normal day-to-day manner as opposed to only in difficult situations,” White said. “They help solve problems, educate the students, help with security, interact with students, faculty and parents and serve as a visible deterrent.
“The township committee, school superintendent and I are fully supportive of this program and are excited to get it rolling.”
While the school will foot the bill for the officer, at the March township budget discussion, Mayor Pete Scirrotto said, “I feel uncomfortable having an officer in just one of the schools.” Scirrotto stated he is interested in reaching out to law enforcement and the school district to develop a plan to provide an officer for each of the three schools.
If a plan is devised and approved, the township could potentially set funds aside to pay the officers.
Deputy Mayor Robert Zimmerman explained that ideally these additional officers would be special law enforcement officers, class III — retired police officers who previously served as full-time officers in any municipality or county in New Jersey, or as a member of the New Jersey State Police, and must be living in the state. They work on an hourly-basis.
These officers may be hired to provide security in public and private schools and also community colleges; however, they do not hold power outside of the schools they are assigned. This class of officer was created in 2016 under a bill signed by then-Gov. Christie.
Zimmerman explained class III officers are ideal because they are retired and not looking to further their career and offer a “stability” of presence in the schools.
“In my opinion, it is not ideal to bring in a younger officer that is breaking into the law enforcement profession and hire them under those circumstances. We are looking for someone that will create more of a stability situation in the schools,” he said. “I would prefer to see someone who has more experience, someone that is more of a seasoned veteran versus somebody that is right out of the academy looking to enhance their career and move into a full-time position eventually.”
Zimmerman approaches the conversation having served in the Pitman Police Department from 1990–2016 as captain and chief, and serving on the Mantua Township Committee since 2008, in addition to time spent on the Mantua School District Board of Education.
Further details about additional officers in the school will be provided once the information is known.
In other news:
The 2018 municipal budget is awaiting approval, as the board decided to push back a bid date for a plenary retail consumption license sale from 10 a.m., April 19 to 10 a.m. May 3. The minimum bid is $500,000.
Zimmerman explained the township committee is waiting to see if the extension of the deadline stirs interest in the license.
“That would certainly help offset some things with our budget this year,” he said.
Zimmerman noted a successful bid and implementation into the 2018 budget could help “provide some tax relief” for the township residents.
Zimmerman explained the township committee is planning budgets with and without the bid. A public meeting with further details on the budget is scheduled for 6 p.m., May 7.
