$110,000 super cop in Frontier School System

[FJB]

I can't believe my eyes and ears. I just read in the Sun that the Frontier School System and Town Police are hiring a cop to patrol the High School for $110,000 a year!! What in the hell are they doing here. That is way to much money. What ever happened to hiring cops at $40K-$45k a year? No wonder my taxes keep going up. The Town Supervisor told me this is a contractual money requirement for the job and new hire officers in Hamburg start at over $60k a year before benefit payments. Sign me up for the force, so I can make $110,000 to babysit high school kids. It's that or remove the Dems on the Town Board who give out these ridiculous contracts!!!

[WNYresident]

Is the guy related to anyone at the school district and are your numbers correct?

[FJB]

I don't know if any of the candidates for the job are related to any one making the decisions. My numbers are from the Hamburg Sun and the Town Supervisor Steve Walters himself. The article should be posted at the Hamburg Sun website today or tomorrow.

[FJB]

Frontier, town announce agreement on SRO
By DAVID J. HILL

Later this month, Frontier will hire a full-time school resource officer to act as a confidante for students – a name and a face of someone they can trust and approach to discuss problems.^

School district officials don't feel it will be a shocking change for students to see a police officer in the high school. And, they say, Frontier's hiring an SRO, as they are more commonly known, is not in response to the "Heroin High" publicity given the school by a local television news station in recent months.

"Having a police officer in the school is nothing new," Town of Hamburg Assistant Chief of Police Carmen Kesner said during a press conference announcing the agreement Wednesday (Aug. 2) afternoon at the Frontier Educational Center. Kesner said police officers have been in Frontier school buildings at various times for the past 35 years.

"This is crime prevention at its best, it's community relations at its best," Kesner said.

Currently, five town patrol officers have expressed an interest in the job, which is estimated to pay $110,000 per year. Sixty-five percent of that will be paid by the school district while the town will pay the remaining 35 percent.
The contract for Frontier's SRO will run from Aug. 21, 2006 through June 30, 2008. The agreement must be ratified by both the Hamburg Town Board and the Frontier School Board.

Supervisor Steve Walters said the Town Board is expected to approve it at their Aug. 7 meeting while the Frontier board plans to adopt it Aug. 15.

Officials say the SRO needs to have good people skills and can develop a rapport with students, who will see the officer as someone they can trust. The problems an SRO might deal with vary, and can include peer pressure, relationship issues and alcohol and drugs.

The SRO is required by state law to attend a training seminar that will be held in Rochester. The SRO's "home base" in the district will be at the high school, Guiffreda said. However, he added, the SRO "will be engaged in activities throughout the district."

Walters commended Guiffreda for his time and effort in reaching the agreement, despite the fact that Guiffreda recently announced he'll be leaving Frontier for a job at Erie 2 BOCES.

"He always made time to make sure this got done," Walters said.

"The presence of a school resource officer...will strengthen the bond between school and community through a three-pronged approach of teaching, law enforcement and counseling," Guiffreda said. "The SRO is a proactive approach to dealing with the many pressures that confront today's youth."

Only two other school districts in Erie County – Hamburg and Orchard Park – do not have SROs, said Frontier School Board Member Nancy Wood, who served on the SRO committee. Walters said Hamburg Central did not feel that they needed one.

Duties of the officer will include the following:

• Assist school personnel to maintain a positive, safe environment.

• Be accessible to students, serving as a resource for students who may be concerned about criminal activity.

• Be available to provide presentations on law-enforcement topics. The SRO can also bring in additional resources, such as K-9.

• Assist in resolving and preventing student conflict.

• Establish positive relationships between administrators, staff and students in all six schools in the district.

More on this story will appear in the Aug. 10 edition of The Sun.

PHOTO: Officials from the Town of Hamburg and Frontier School District review details of the agreement they reached to hire an SRO for the district.

[tronix75]

"This is crime prevention at its best, it's community relations at its best," Kesner said."

I say it's legalized robbery at it's best.

I wonder how they can justify an arbitrary number like $110,000 to an already overburdened taxpayer for a glorified hall monitor? Oh...that's right, they don't have too...it's robbery.

[BigGuy]

SHAME on Hamburg Cantral and the Hamburg Town Board for doing this.

Talk about bad precedent. "Hey, let's over pay someone with no degree or pysch training to work for over twice what the degreed Teachers and Administrators make! Then everything will be better in our schools!!!"

[WNYresident]

Someone must have the numbers wrong. No one in thier right might would start off at $110,000 with bene's as a glorified hall monitor.

[tronix75]

Someone must have the numbers wrong. No one in thier right might would start off at $110,000 with bene's as a glorified hall monitor.

Come on Rez...with all the idiotic things you've seen government do, this suprises you?

[WNYresident]

Yes it does. People who make these types of decisions have to realize they are watched more closely now. You think they would think a little more smarter don't you think?

I would like to know how they pulled that salary out of thier ass.

[tronix75]

Yes it does. People who make these types of decisions have to realize they are watched more closely now. You think they would think a little more smarter don't you think?

They may be watched more closely, but do you think they worry much about the taxpayers in that district raising hell about it? They way these government school districts operate, they're more like dictatorships than democracies.

I would like to know how they pulled that salary out of thier ass.

That's where their brains are.

[FJB]

I confirmed the salary with the Town Supervisor. Here's the kicker, the officer will be eligible for overtime on top. I don't think Steve Walters is to happy about it but with 4 out of 5 members being democrats on the Town Board he can't do much about it. It's go along for the ride or pull a Satish and leave the school without an officer.

[1964]

Sanborn sucks! The people who run this system are idiots.

[granpabob]

think of this only Op and hamb dont have one already that means all the other districts do I wonder how much they pay.
also do these officers get 110 thou just for the school duty or does this include normal police work too

[NoCtUrNaL]

Only two other school districts in Erie County – Hamburg and Orchard Park – do not have SROs, said Frontier School Board Member Nancy Wood, who served on the SRO committee. Walters said Hamburg Central did not feel that they needed one.

This is the first time I've heard of such a postion, so I Googled West Seneca's school district and found the following....

May 19, 2003

11. Chief Gehen re Application to US Dept. of Justice for School Resource Officer

Motion by Councilman Osmanski, seconded by Councilman Wroblewski, to authorize Supervisor Paul T. Clark of the Town of West Seneca to submit an application to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, COPS in Schools Program, requesting $125,000 over three years that will enable the West Seneca Police Department to hire one sworn officer who will be assigned to the West Seneca Central School District as a School Resource Officer, noting that the Town of West Seneca agrees to match grant funds with $66,949 in cash over three years and to retain the officer one year after the award period.


On the question, Supervisor Clark thanked Chief Gehen for working with the school district and pursuing grant funding for a School Resource Officer. The pilot program that was in effect for quite some time was working very well and receipt of this grant would allow for more police presence in the schools.

Ayes: All Noes: None

Motion Carried
LINK

Seems West Seneca was attempting to get this postion paid for, at least in part, with a Federal grant.

[NoCtUrNaL]

...more...

Authorized the Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Brotz, to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Town of West Seneca, New York, for the purpose of the Town of West Seneca Police Department assigning 2 school resource officers to West Seneca Central School District at a cost not to exceed $75,000 annually for the period September 1, 2004 to August 31, 2008. LINK