Meet The New Security Officers In The Lawrence School District

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ — Following an increase in intruder incidents in schools across the country and a request from a local group, the Lawrence Township Public School District increased its security measures heading into the 2018-19 school year.

When Lawrence Township students went back to school on Sept. 5, they were greeted by three new security officers, the district announced this week. Suzanne Girard, student resource officer (SRO), greeted Lawrence High School students; Rick Doldy, Class III officer, was on hand at Lawrence Middle School; and Matt Nemes, Class III officer, welcomed Lawrence Intermediate School students.

After the school shootings in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14, 2018, a group of Lawrence residents organized a meeting to discuss security within the school district. Several central office administrators and Board of Education members asked to be included in the meeting to directly answer questions. The group’s general consensus was a cry for more security within the schools.

SROs were in the high school and middle school until 2012, when their presence was eliminated due to budget constraints, according to the district. Class III officers are a new category of security within New Jersey this year, and the position is still evolving. Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation in November 2016 that provided for the new classification of officers.

That legislation stemmed from feedback of two task forces convened after the December 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and the recommendation of the New Jersey State Association of the Chiefs of Police. The two task forces were the NJSBA School Security Task Force and the New Jersey School Security Task Force (NJSSTF) appointed by Gov. Chris Christie.

Class III officers do not have the same salary as SROs and, because the Class III officers are retired, a district does not have to pay health or pension benefits. That’s why the district hired two Class III officers and one SRO. Lawrence Town Council and the Lawrence Board of Education were able to find funding within their respective budgets for the new positions.

Although SROs and Class III officers have different roles, all are hired with the major focus of helping to keep students and staff safe from an outside intruder, according to the district. Unlike SROs who are current police officers, Class III officers are retired law enforcement officers who previously served as fully trained, full-time officers in New Jersey. They must go through SRO required training. Their role is to be a visible presence in the schools and to help keep students and staff safe.

“The safety of our children is our greatest responsibility, and we are dedicated to their well-being,” Lawrence Township Superintendent of Schools Ross Kasun said. “With the addition of our SRO and Class III officers, we have intensified our focus on safety and security efforts to make certain that students and staff are safe.”

Lawrence Township Acting Police Chief Brian Caloiaro met with district and school administrators on Sept. 12, and continued discussion about the officers and their responsibilities. Caloiaro said Class III officers do not teach, discipline children, or investigate. He also emphasized school administrators are in charge of the officers when they are in the schools.

Meet the officers:

Rick Doldy, a Class III officer pictured above with Lawrence Middle School Assistant Principal Lou Solomon, grew up in Lawrence and is a Lawrence High School graduate. After first starting in electrical engineering, Rick changed careers, became a Lawrence police officer, and earned a BS in Homeland Security and National Preparedness. Rick has high and middle school aged children.

Suzanne Girard, an SRO, is in her 17th year as a Lawrence police officer and worked as a deputy court administrator for the Lawrence Municipal Court for five years prior. A few years ago, she served as an SRO at Lawrence Intermediate School and Lawrence Middle School. She is married to a Lawrence High School graduate, and they have three children ages 11, 8, and 6.

Charles “Matt” Nemes, a Class III officer, was a police officer for 25+ years. He began on the Trenton force and then transferred to the Ewing Police Department, from which he retired in 2017. While in Trenton, Matt was part of the street crimes unit and also the SWAT team. Eventually he was transferred into the K9 unit and became a certified K9 trainer. He assisted in and trained over 200 dogs in a span of 17 years. Matt is married and has three sons, ages 23, 16 and 14.

Main image via Shutterstock; embedded images were provided by the Lawrence Township Public School District