NORTH BRUNSWICK NJ May 2 2013 — Will the retired police officers (RPOs) who patrol the schools carry weapons?
That is the question Superintendent of Schools Brian Zychowski has fielded time and time again since the Board of Education approved the hiring of six RPOs — one for each township school — in March.
The answer is “not at first,” Zychowski said at the board’s April 24 meeting.
If a decision is made that allows the RPOs to carry weapons, the issue will come back to the board for discussion and approval, Zychowski said.
The district is in the midst of interviewing potential candidates for the positions, he said, adding that the process, which includes background checks, is a lengthy one.
It is expected that the six officers will be hired prior to the start of the 2013-14 school year and will be in place for September.
The parties involved in the interview process include school officials; Mike Misurell, the district’s school security director and a retired North Brunswick police captain; Deputy Police Chief Joseph Battaglia; Police Director Kenneth McCormick; and Patrick Doyle, a security consultant for the district and former police officer for the New Jersey State Police who has Homeland Security experience.
“We brought in Mr. Doyle in February as an extra set of eyes and ears,” Zychowski said.
The board paid Doyle by using funds from a $36,000 grant issued by the New Jersey School Boards Association Insurance Group. The district is also using the grant funds to upgrade exterior and interior cameras at the schools and conduct an external security audit, he said.
The district hired Misurell as school security director in 2009. Misurell oversees the security drills at schools and chairs the district’s safety committee.
“Other school districts are asking how we make it work,” Zychowski said, noting that the district has stayed ahead of the curve with security.
Given the national events of the past six months, including the Boston Marathan bombings, Zychowski said he asked Doyle to come in and work with Misurell. Previously, Doyle would help out on an asneeded basis, such as over the weekend when community groups used the schools.
“Two weeks ago, I get a call that an unknown person was seen in a dress shirt and tie, searching around the garbage outside of Linwood Middle School,” he said. After investigating, Zychowski learned that the man was Doyle, doing his job as security consultant.
“It didn’t hit me then on why, but then the bombings in Boston happened and I realized what he was doing. … You never know,” Zychowski said.
The hiring of six RPOs is being funded through the board’s 2013-14 school budget. The school district previously used school resource officers who were paid by the township. However, Zychowski said the officers were taken out of the schools three years ago due to municipal budget cuts.
The idea for the RPOs was explored in a security presentation that Zychowski made before the board in February. It mirrors what the East Brunswick public schools have in place, he said.
That is the question Superintendent of Schools Brian Zychowski has fielded time and time again since the Board of Education approved the hiring of six RPOs — one for each township school — in March.
The answer is “not at first,” Zychowski said at the board’s April 24 meeting.
“These officers will be certified, [which will] allow them to carry. But we are still in talks with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office on how to proceed,” he said.
If a decision is made that allows the RPOs to carry weapons, the issue will come back to the board for discussion and approval, Zychowski said.
The district is in the midst of interviewing potential candidates for the positions, he said, adding that the process, which includes background checks, is a lengthy one.
It is expected that the six officers will be hired prior to the start of the 2013-14 school year and will be in place for September.
The parties involved in the interview process include school officials; Mike Misurell, the district’s school security director and a retired North Brunswick police captain; Deputy Police Chief Joseph Battaglia; Police Director Kenneth McCormick; and Patrick Doyle, a security consultant for the district and former police officer for the New Jersey State Police who has Homeland Security experience.
“We brought in Mr. Doyle in February as an extra set of eyes and ears,” Zychowski said.
The board paid Doyle by using funds from a $36,000 grant issued by the New Jersey School Boards Association Insurance Group. The district is also using the grant funds to upgrade exterior and interior cameras at the schools and conduct an external security audit, he said.
The district hired Misurell as school security director in 2009. Misurell oversees the security drills at schools and chairs the district’s safety committee.
“Other school districts are asking how we make it work,” Zychowski said, noting that the district has stayed ahead of the curve with security.
Given the national events of the past six months, including the Boston Marathan bombings, Zychowski said he asked Doyle to come in and work with Misurell. Previously, Doyle would help out on an asneeded basis, such as over the weekend when community groups used the schools.
“Two weeks ago, I get a call that an unknown person was seen in a dress shirt and tie, searching around the garbage outside of Linwood Middle School,” he said. After investigating, Zychowski learned that the man was Doyle, doing his job as security consultant.
“It didn’t hit me then on why, but then the bombings in Boston happened and I realized what he was doing. … You never know,” Zychowski said.
The hiring of six RPOs is being funded through the board’s 2013-14 school budget. The school district previously used school resource officers who were paid by the township. However, Zychowski said the officers were taken out of the schools three years ago due to municipal budget cuts.
The idea for the RPOs was explored in a security presentation that Zychowski made before the board in February. It mirrors what the East Brunswick public schools have in place, he said.