School resource officer approved for Sweet Home
by DAVID F. SHERMAN Managing Editor

The concept of having a school resource officer on duty in an Amherst institution is one step closer to reality.

The Amherst Town Board Monday night approved a resolution to loan a full-time police officer to the Sweet Home Central School District. The full cost of salary and benefits for the officer - for 10 months - will be covered by the district.

The expense was already built into the 2007-2008 budget approved last month by district voters.

Sweet Home Superintendent Geoff Hicks said the town and the school district must now negotiate such points as the duties and responsibilities of the officer and a start date.

Hicks said he was told by Police Chief John Moslow that a recruit class will not graduate until January, delaying the availability of new officers until the second semester of the 2007-2008 term.

Hicks said he would prefer that an experienced officer be assigned to the job, rather than thrusting the task on a rookie.

"We would like to have a voice in who the officer would be," said Hicks. "All we want is a say; kind of like an interview process. We trust the police chief's judgment implicitly."

After studying the arrangements already in place for a school resource officer in the East Aurora district, Hicks said he is ready to hammer out details with the town.

"We are working from a sample contractual agreement, but we need to get together with the town," he said. "Several things are not resolved yet.

"I think this sets a pretty good precedent for resource officers in the Town of Amherst. The chief has been very helpful and we know we can work with him."

Hicks said the district does not want to leave the police force short an officer by starting the program in the fall, before the next class graduates, and speculated it might not begin until after the winter break in early January.

Traditionally, school resource officers are a visible presence in hallways and classrooms and are available throughout the day for private consultations with students. They are seen as both a deterrent to threatening behavior in the schools as well as a role model for students.

e-mail: dsherman@beenews.com