Bucks County Salary Board Clears Way For SRO At Central Bucks West

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Bucks County Salary Board at its August meeting voted unanimously to hire a deputy sheriff who would help in the support of a new Student Resource Officer (SRO) at Central Bucks West.

The new hire requested by the Bucks County Sheriff's Department, will replace an existing deputy who will be assigned the SRO role at CB West. The SRO position will be funded entirely by the Central Bucks School District. The district will also pay for training and equipment for the new position.

“They (the school district) have pretty much left an open checkbook for this program,” said Bucks County Sheriff Fred Harran. “They’ve also agreed that if somewhere down the road we want to pull out, the school district will absorb that position until we can fill it.

“This is a win-win. This isn’t going to cost the county anything down the road and it’s a good thing for Bucks County to say that we’re the fourth county in the Commonwealth that is doing this. It’s also the right thing to do. There’s no debate when protecting children.”

According to Harran, the sheriff’s department and the school district are currently interviewing internal candidates for the job. The successful candidate will attend training beginning this month in preparation for the new school year.

“Since Columbine, there have been 386 school shootings in this country. More than 360,000 have experienced gun violence,” said Harran. “Bucks County has 13 school districts with more than 96,000 students, 270 schools, and 9,000 educators. One is covered by State Police. The other 12 are covered by local law enforcement. Currently, in Bucks County, there are seven SROs.”

Under the Pennsylvania School Code, school districts are allowed to put into place school resource officers, school security officers or school police officers. A school security officer and a school police officer are employed by the school district. The SRO is an employee of a local law enforcement agency.

“In this particular case, it would be the Bucks County Sheriff’s Department and allows that person to be hired and put into that school to be a resource and also an armed protection, a deterrent, someone to respond, someone to train with school officials, someone to work with emergency services. That person, that liaison is able to be there for the students and the faculty as well.”

SROs are currently in place in Bensalem, Bristol Borough, Central Bucks West, Neshaminy and Quakertown. Central Bucks is also in discussions with Buckingham for an SRO at CB West.

“We need to get more SROs in Bucks County. Central Bucks is doing the right thing by equipping their schools with a second and a third SRO,” said Harran.

Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia noted that this was the first time someone made a motion and a second was made at a salary board meeting and there was no need for comment.

“I’ve sat here for a couple of years and heard that this county shouldn’t have anything to do with the schools. Get out of our schools. You shouldn’t have given us rules,” she said referring to the COVID mask mandates that came down from the county. “But ironic, those same people are now saying get involved with our schools. We need this officer.

“Counties have no role in schools,” she continued. “In this case we have to take a role because of what the Central Bucks Regional Police Commission is unable to do. They are the local law enforcement. They should have this, but they are not stepping up so we have to step up. The county has to be the chief law enforcement officer by doing that. And I’m glad Mr. Harran has come up with this idea. We’re going to support it. Who would not support the safety of our children?”