Upper St. Clair Adds Armed Officers To All Schools

UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA - Classes resumed Monday in the Upper St. Clair School District with plans to provide an armed school police officer in each of the six district schools. The district police force is being doubled from three to six officers, and 12-month and 10-month officers are being added.

School directors last week hired three new officers, each with more than 20 years of law enforcement experience. Until they officially join the district early in the school year, Allegheny County police will provide an armed law enforcement presence in schools lacking a district officer.

“The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Those words are not merely a slogan; we live by them. Safety and security is one of five pillars of our strategic plan, and we have worked diligently across multiple fronts to create the safest possible environment,” school board president Amy Billerbeck said in a district release. “Many of us have children who attend Upper St. Clair schools. We live here, too. This is our community, and we all have a vested interest in keeping it secure.”

Upper St. Clair’s school police officers are all Act 120 Certified. Act 120 is known as the Municipal Police Officers' Training Academy, a program that gives trainees the skills they need in order to become successful police officers. The program includes a 919-hour curriculum plus an additional 27 hours of testing.

Suburban Allegheny County school districts that also have armed police officer include
Bethel Park, Gateway, Montour, North Allegheny, North Hills, Plum and West Jefferson Hills.

In May, Upper St. Clair School District welcomed a new chief of school police, Sean Bryson, who was a 20-year member of the Arlington County Police Department in Virginia and an Upper St. Clair High School graduate. Upon his arrival, Bryson was tasked with conducting a needs assessment of the district’s current safety and security practices including staffing, training and expertise.

“Providing an armed, highly trained school police force is widely considered best practices in school safety and security,” he said. “We are fortunate to be building a staff with significant experience and specialized training in law enforcement.”

Image via Shutterstock.

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