Weston is closing in on having its first school resource officer. On Wednesday night, Police Commission Chairman Bill Brady told members of the boards of education, finance and selectmen that commissioners were ready to sign off on a memorandum of understanding on the responsibilities of the new position, but had decided to discuss it first at the tri-board meeting at Weston Middle School that night.
However, First Selectwoman Gayle Weinstein told Brady and Police Chief John Troxell she first wants to iron out some legal issues to protect the town from any potential litigation brought on by disagreements with the police union.
"I want to avoid any union grievance or violation of the union contract," she said.
Among her concerns, Weinstein said the memorandum of understanding says the SRO's evaluation will be done in accordance with written policies and procedures of the Weston Police Department, but there are no written policies and procedures.
Other potential issues are shifts, hours, days off and sending an officer not trained as an SRO to fill a shift. "We want to make sure it isn't something the union would see as against protocol," Weinstein said.
The first selectwoman also said she wants to ensure there is not training where the town would have to cover the costs.
"I have concerns," she said.
"I thought you were for an SRO," Brady said.
"I do support it," Weinstein replied. "I just want to be careful not to get sued — To protect the town."
If everything works out, an SRO will be hired for the 2014-15 school year.
Daily Responsibilities
Weston High School Principal Lisa Deorio said her staff envisions the SRO walking around the school and connecting with students and, because Weston's schools are on one campus, being a resource for the other schools when permitted to.
Of hiring an SRO she said, "I'm excited about the possibility of having one here."
Board of Finance Chairman Jerry Sargent asked Deorio to describe what a day in the life of an SRO would be like.
Deorio said the officer would be visible in the morning, could assist with instruction and develop a rapport with students so they feel comfortable going to him or her with problems.
"We have many issues at the school," she said, mentioning drugs as one of them.
Board of Education member Dana Levin said an SRO can be tailored to your school's needs.
Selectman Dave Muller said, "This is a resource to identify where problems may exist. In my mind, that is a crucial aspect."
"Isn't that what a guidance counsellor and every educator at the school should be involved in?" asked Richard Bochinski, a Board of Finance member.
'Are We Safer?'
Some finance board members asked how the district would measure the success of an SRO program.
Supt. Colleen Palmer said the question, "Are we safer?" would be considered, adding soft and hard data would be tracked including the number interventions and connections an SRO makes. At the end of the academic year, the principal would be interviewed to assess if the SRO made a positive impact at the school, according to Palmer.
"If the SRO is funded by this community, we think we would owe you a report at the end of the year," she said.
In all of the discussion, Bochinski said he hadn't heard the word "security".
Palmer said, "Sometimes you don't state the obvious. This person is going to have a firearm. Having a police officer on campus is the greatest deterrent to anything happening."
Palmer also pointed out that the presence of a police officer leads to a reduction in drugs and contraband on campus.
Chief Troxell said, "The SRO is a conduit between the students and the community and has a sixth sense when something is wrong. Security is a smaller part of it. He's there to get in front of an issue before there's an incident at the school."
A Full Time Position
Troxell said there is a "misconception" that an SRO is a part-time position because of the 180-day school year. He said there is a lot the officer could do in the summertime, including providing security at events to cut down on police overtime and being at the school for summer programs.
"It's not a part-time position," the chief said. "It's a full-time position. Teachers aren't seen as part-time and they work 180 days as well."
Among the issues to be hammered out is when an SRO will go on vacation.
No Junior Criminals Here
Troxell wanted to ease any concerns some parents may have that having a police officer in the high school would lead to a major spike in arrests of town teenagers.
With the exception of serious crimes, he said offenses would be dealt with through juvenile referrals, often to be settled in-house by the student's parents rather than going to juvenile court.
"Our department goes out of its way not to make children into junior criminals," Troxell said. "We're a small-town police department. In no way, shape or form do we see an SRO being here to make a ton of juvenile arrests leading to court and criminal records."
Palmer pointed out that state statutes limit a police officer's arrest powers inside a school anyway. For instance, a police officer needs a warrant to search a locker and a principal does not.
Deorio added that school staff has to follow district policy on when it can call police to the campus.
Troxell said, "The SRO program is not about an officer going through book bags. That's not what this is about."
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