School resource officers at BOCES are in jeopardy

Town says it pays high costs for the officers, By Leslie Cosgrove Goshen — The positions of two student resource officers at Orange-Ulster BOCES may be in jeopardy, depending upon the outcome of the town’s contract negotiations. The officers are members of the Town of Goshen Police Department who work at BOCES for most of the year. The mission of school-based police officers are to prevent school violence, develop positive relationships with students and teachers, and improve the reporting of school crimes, according to the National Association of School Resource Officers. A school without a school resource officer must rely on the regular municipal police in its jurisdiction when it needs help. Originally, there was one position at BOCES, funded by a grant in 2005. The following year, a second position was added, and BOCES absorbed the costs of salaries and benefits for both officers. But, the town says it still pays significant “overhead” costs for the two officers, and is seeking reimbursement for the costs. Supervisor Doug Bloomfield was reluctant to reveal the exact dollar figure because negotiations are ongoing, but he said that costs for insurance, maintenance, and depreciation for two police cars, and charges for uniforms and uniform cleaning are among the expenses. At the town board meeting last week, officers from the town’s police department and an instructor from BOCES asked board members to consider the benefits the officers bring to the town. Rich Walls, one of the current student resource officers, said that before his position existed, officers were responding to an average of two calls per day at BOCES. Officers are now free to patrol other parts of the town, he said. With a population comparable to that of the Village of Florida, BOCES’s 2,600 students plus staff justifies a full-time police presence, said Walls. Student resource officers (SROs) made 54 arrests during the last school year — incidents that the town’s other patrols would have had to handle if not for the SROs, he said. John Blaine, an instructor at BOCES, said the presence of the student resource officers ensure a “safe, non-threatening environment” for the staff and students. He noted that students from 17 different school districts come to BOCES, bringing “a lot of different personalities” together. During snow days, or other days that the school is closed, the town’s police chief has the flexibility to use the student resource officers to work in town assisting with traffic accidents, grand jury, and court appearances, said Wall. BOCES does not back-bill the town for these hours, he said. Goshen Supervisor Doug Bloomfield assured the officers and the public that the validity of the positions and the quality of the work were not in question. “We absolutely value the program,” he said. “Affordability is one of the biggest issues in Goshen,” said Bloomfield. Residents are struggling with water and sewer bills. Hambletonian Park homeowners are facing a $900,000 bill for a water main replacement unless a grant comes through, and proposals for a $70 million school expansion and a new library are on the horizon, he said. “We do not need to be subsidizing Orange and Ulster counties with Goshen taxpayers’ money,” said Bloomfield. “We are asking, ‘Please reimburse us for what we spend, nothing more, nothing less.’” In other business • The town voted to relevy $222,250.85 in unpaid water and sewer bills to the 2008 tax roll. The town voted to relevy $13,782.69 in unpaid meter installation fees, and to levy $3,700 for the clean-up of 6 Larchwood Drive to the 2008 tax roll. The town also voted to levy $171,062 0 to the 2008 tax roll for the purchase of development rights to the Knoell and Rhodes farms. • The town appointed Dennis Lindsey, P.E. from the firm Riddick and Associates, as the town engineer and the town planning board engineer. • Supervisor Bloomfield reported that the town submitted two parcels to the county’s matching funds program for the purchase of development rights. A member of Rep. John Hall’s office staff told the supervisor that the grant request for $400,000 for Hambletonian Park’s water main replacement is still in the Senate. Hall is optimistic, but a decision may not come until late November. • The public hearing on zoning and coding will be continued on Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.