Students in Trenton will see a new face in the halls when school resumes in September. The district will soon employ a “school resource officer“ from the Trenton Police Department.
Superintendent Rodney Wakeham first proposed the idea to the school board last spring and requested permission to investigate the possibility of working with the Police Department. The board gave their blessing and talks have been ongoing for the past six months.
At the Aug. 7 City Council meeting, the request was unanimously approved. According to Director of Police and Fire Services Jim Nardone, the school district will cover $60,000 per year for the three-year pilot program. The city will cover the remaining $20,000 per year.
“We’re really grateful to the school district. We’re happy they see the merit in doing this.” Nardone said, stating that this has been a long time coming.
According to Wakeham, the goal of the SRO is to focus more on prevention and awareness than enforcement.
From the school’s perspective, the officer will have three main functions. They will address social media issues, address truancy and make sure investigations into civil infractions are done properly. Wakeham hopes having the officer will allow the district to remain proactive, as opposed to being reactionary.
“It’s going to be very positive for everyone involved.” Wakeham said.
Police Chief Steve Voss stressed that there is a vast amount of training that will be required for the officer selected for the position.
He also stated that one officer will be selected for the entire three year term as a way for the officer to build a relationship with students. The goal of the program is for the officer to get to know the students.
“The officer will be more like a counselor that is able to offer some sort of support to students,” said Voss.
The officer will be in place for the beginning of the school year.