Wanted: More crossing guards

Police and others fill the gap, but at a cost

By: Courtney Gross
   Mike Amendola, sporting an orange reflector jacket, strolls into Witherspoon Street every 10 to 20 seconds, a red and white stop sign in his outstretched hand.
   He nods and smiles at the Community Park School students dragging their "Dora Boots" book bags and clutching the hands of their guardians.
   He has replayed this scene twice a day for 16 years, functioning as a crossing guard, guiding students safely across Princeton’s streets.
   But Mr. Amendola is also the maintenance foreman for the Princeton Recreation Department. His double duty helps address an increasingly serious problem for Princeton: A shortage of crossing guards that one official called "desperate".
   Whether it’s the hours or a lack of community commitment, the dearth of people available for these positions is forcing municipal employees, including officers from both Princeton police departments, to fill in.
   "I think it’s really a reflection of the change in times and how busy our society is," police Sgt. Thomas Murray said, noting the difficulty of recruiting new crossing guards.
   On average during 2006, four on-duty officers had to be dispatched each day to man some of the 15 intersections the department is responsible for, he said.
   Sgt. Murray, who heads the community action team and is the township’s traffic safety officer, said that approximately 15 percent of the more than 5,000 school crossing assignments last year were without coverage, and in about two out of three of those instances police officers were called in.
   For the past three years, he said, the need for police to cover intersections between 8 and 8:30 a.m. and 2:55 and 3:25 p.m. has steadily increased. In 2004, two officers were typically called in each day, while in 2005 that number rose to three. And it’s still climbing, Sgt. Murray said.
   "We can’t continue to sustain this rate of increase with our current numbers," he said. "We’re operating on a fixed number of people. That means someone has to come off of routine patrol and forgo their other responsibilities."
   Taxpayers pay a high price for that. Sgt. Murray estimated that it costs the township three times more when a police officer has to fill in for a crossing guard.
   In the borough, Lt. David Dudeck said the cost of police officers acting as crossing guards depends on the experience level and salary of the officer. The borough pays crossing guards $30 a day — $5 more than the township — to staff intersections for 45 minutes in the morning and another 45 minutes in the afternoon. In comparison, a rookie police officer would be paid $38.75 for the same time period, Lt. Dudeck said.
   The borough police department is responsible for eight intersections, one of which is covered by an on-duty officer daily, Lt. Dudeck said. The borough’s meter officers — who are paid time-and-a-half for their service — staff two other crossings.
   Over the years, Lt. Dudeck said, the borough has attempted to address the shortage through fliers, advertising and community outreach. A crossing guard, the lieutenant noted, must come with a flexible schedule — with time in the early morning as well as the afternoon.
   Often, Lt. Dudeck explained, it is retirees that take up the challenge.
   "No matter what, those crossings have to get covered every school day," Lt. Dudeck said. "Even if it meant having the chief out there — we would figure out how to cover the crossing."
   With an average of three officers on the road at a time, when one is pulled off to help students cross the street the borough could put a member of the police administration, such as a detective or lieutenant, on the road, the lieutenant said. At times, he added, the department has even held an officer over from the night shift — paying the officer time-and-a-half — when an intersection is vacant in the morning.
   Either way, the lieutenant said, the department guarantees kids are crossing safely.
   Princeton Regional Schools Superintendent Judy Wilson said it takes a "special person" to take on the position of a crossing guard.
   When buses are departing, parents are driving in to pick up their children and students are flying through the schoolhouse doors, the job can be challenging. Most importantly, Ms. Wilson noted, the guards need to ensure students are safe during this time period and offer a friendly, helping hand.
   Calling the service invaluable, Sgt. Murray said crossing guards often go unappreciated. Day in and day out, in the morning and in the afternoon, rain or shine, they are expected at the township’s 15 crossings.
   But at least some of Princeton’s longtime crossing guards say they do get the respect police say they deserve.
   Even on a chilly, winter afternoon, a passing student dressed in purple stretch pants called out a "thank you" to Mr. Amendola as he stopped oncoming traffic. When he is unable to make it one day, Mr. Amendola said, his young charges and parents take note.
   When he returns to the intersection after a day away, Mr. Amendola said, "parents say, ‘Where you been?’"