North Hills School District Plans Armed Police Force

ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA - Armed police officers soon could roam the halls of North Hills School District buildings after school directors approved a resolution Thursday authorizing the creation of a district police force.

The officers will be district employees, but will work in cooperation with the Ross and West View police departments to ensure the safety of district students and staff. They will have the same powers as municipal officers and will have the authority to issue summary citations or detain an individual until local law enforcement is able to assist.

The resolution does not indicate how large the force will be, but the armed officers will patrol all district buildings. The district also hasn’t detailed how much officers will be paid, but said compensation will be agreed upon by the district and officer via an employment contract.

It’s unclear if the district will have the force in place by the start of the 2018-19 school year in August.

District teachers recently were surveyed on the idea and 92 percent favored North Hills establishing an armed police force.

Photo via Shutterstock.

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