Police officer will be on duty at Marlboro High School

By PETER ELACQUA
Staff Writer

MARLBORO – The Township Council has agreed to provide a School Resource Officer (SRO) to the Freehold Regional High School District and to station that individual at Marlboro High School.

The council took the action at its July 16 meeting.

Municipal officials agreed they will “assign not less than one SRO and agree to pay the SRO’s salary and employee benefits in accordance with applicable salary schedules and employment practices of the Marlboro Police Department.”

The school district agreed to retain the SRO for the 2015-16 school year and to subsidize the township so it may hire and retain a police officer to replace the individual who becomes the SRO. The school district is obligated by pay the township $45,000 by Sept. 1.

The police department “in its sole discretion, shall have the power and authority to hire, discharge, assign and discipline SROs,” according to the agreement.

If the assigned SRO is absent due to illness or disability for three consecutive workdays, the police department will assign a substitute SRO to the high school.

The SRO will work a maximum of 40 hours a week. Specific duty hours will be set by mutual agreement between the school district — at the direction of the principal of the school to which the officer is assigned — and the police chief.

The agreement states the officer must be on duty 15 minutes before the start of the instructional day and must remain on duty until 15 minutes after the end of the instructional day unless stated otherwise.

According to the agreement, the appointed SRO must be a commissioned officer and should have a minimum of five years of law enforcement experience, possess a sufficient knowledge of the applicable federal and state laws, city and county ordinances and Board of Education policies and regulations, be capable of conducting in-depth criminal investigations, possess an even temperament and set a good example for students and “possess communication skills that would enable the officer to function effectively within the school environment.”

The SRO will be responsible for investigating criminal activity committed on or adjacent to school property, to counsel students in specific situations and to answer questions students may have about police enforcement of state and municipal laws.

The SRO will assist with outside investigations concerning students who attend the school to which the officer is assigned.

The SRO will provide traffic control, be obligated to report any observed irregularities, dangerous practices and conditions which includes accidents, fires and other actions that could affect the health and welfare of students while being obligated to testify before the board or committee relating to legal proceedings, and officers will be armed as approriate.

The SRO will wear the police department’s uniform with an option to wear plain clothes in special situations with the approval of the police chief.

The SRO is not allowed to transport students in his vehicle unless the student is a victim of a crime, under arrest, or other emergency circumstances are in place. The initial agreement is in effect until June 30, 2016, and can be renewed.