July 10, 2015
A school security task force created by Gov. Chris Christie proposed in a report Thursday that all New Jersey schools have a trained full-time police officer on site, NJ.com reports.
The suggestion is one of 42 issued in the report by the New Jersey School Security Task Force. Christie created the group in 2013 in the wake of the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
Some New Jersey schools already have School Resource Officers, local police officers trained specifically to work in schools. The report merely suggests that schools should have officers and does not advise the state to require schools to hire them.
According to the report, officers would serve as guards, safety experts, problem-solvers and liaisons to community resources.
"Provided that carefully selected and appropriately trained personnel are assigned to protect the safety and security of school personnel and property, the concept has merit, and there is an increasing sense among law enforcement and educators that SROs are effective in protecting people and property," the report states.
"Although empirical research that reliably evaluates the effectiveness of police officers in schools is limited, there is evidence that suggests that schools with SROs were more likely to report that school facilities and grounds were patrolled, safety and security inspections were conducted, and student leads about crimes were investigated."
The report acknowledges that having a school resource officer can be expensive.
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