More Special Police Coming To Howell Schools In September

HOWELL,NJ—The Township Council and the school district are on their way to hiring a Class 3 special police officer to work in every school in the district by September, the township manager said.

The council expects to vote July 12 to approve a shared services agreement with the district to hire at least 12 officers, but maybe as many as 14 to 15, said Township Manager Joe Clark. The signed agreement from the school district was already approved, he said, and received by the township.

While the exact cost of the extra personnel in the SLEO 3 program is being finalized, Clark said that "for the safety of children, no price is too high."

The township Police Department has already put out the call to applicants and Clark said they are getting quite a few retired police officers interested in the positions. They sought to expand the special police force in anticipation of the plan to put more officers in the schools, he said.

There are 10 elementary and 2 middle schools in the district. Howell High School is part of the Freehold Regional High School District.

He said the budget overall for the officers may reach $900,000, but that will be shared 50-50 by the township and the district. He said the previous cost for the township was about $150,000.

The exact costs of the program will vary depending on training and equipment, he added.

"Our goal is to get the best service at the lowest cost, and we are getting world-class officers who will not need a lot of training," Clark said.

And hiring 14 or 15 officers will provide flexibility to rotate in and out as needed, Clark said.

He added that, apart from the protection special officers provide, they form bonds with the students - they and "the kids become friends."

Ronald Sanasac, the assistant superintendent for business administration, said the township police department and the school district enjoy an excellent relationship.

For example, he said the three School Resource Officers in the district play a role in education for the students, offering such programs as the L.E.A.D. substance abuse and bullying awareness curriculum.

The plans to place more special officers in the schools has been in the works for about two years, Sanasac said. So the idea was not a direct result of the recent violence at Uvalde, Texas, but "that absolutely entered our minds," he added.

He said the state Department of Education in 2016 identified the need to expand security at schools and Howell began its SLEO 3 program in 2017.

The Howell Township Police Department has been accepting resumes for the position of Class III Special Police Officer (SLEO 3). Interested applicants can click here for a link to a story detailing the requirements.

Resumes may be mailed to:

• Howell Township Police Department
• Attn: Capt. John Storrow
• P.O. Box 580
• Howell, N.J. 07731-0580

Resumes may also be submitted in-person by the applicant at police headquarters located at 300 Old Tavern Road, Howell, N.J. 07731, or emailed to recruiting@howellpolice.org