Atlantic City police officers will begin patrolling the city's schools Tuesday.
A partnership between city government and the Board of Education will assign one police officer to each of the kindergarten through eighth-grade schools, with two officers assigned to the High School.
Each of the new school resource officers volunteered for their positions and are eager to build relationships with the students, teachers and staff at their respective schools, according to a news release put out by the Atlantic City Police Department.
Sgt. Timothy Smith, a former juvenile detective, will supervise the unit. Detective Thomas McCabe will investigate any crimes that occur on school property.
“For the first time in the great city of Atlantic City, we have at least one officer in each of our schools, and I’m extremely proud to say this unprecedented change is happening under the Small administration,” Mayor Marty Small said. “This is something city leaders discussed in the past, but none were able to get the job done until now. This took a lot of hard work from many different individuals, and the addition of our school resource officers will allow our police officers to protect our children and school staff like never before.”
Small first talked of the plan in November, when announcing a $3.75 million from the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, Hiring Grant.
The money was earmarked for the hiring of 30 officers, with a plan to put 10 in the schools: one each in the eight K-8 schools and two in the high school.
“Having officers in every school is one of the most important steps we can take to ensure the safety of our students and school staff,” Police Chief James Sarkos said. “With their presence, our officers not only help prevent potential threats but also act as positive role models, mentors and valuable resources for students in need.”
The officer assignments are:
Mayor Marty Small laid out the plan at his State of the City in February.
Small laid out the plan during his State of the City in February, having his wife — Superintendent of Schools Dr. La'Quetta Small — stand as he previewed the partnership.
“We look forward to partnering with the City of Atlantic City and the Atlantic City Police Department,” Dr. Small said Tuesday. “The Atlantic City Public School District has always prioritized safety. However, through this partnership, we are able to further improve school safety and security by providing full-time police officers in each school. It is our expectation that the police officers foster positive relationships with students, staff, parents and the community."
In March, 30 officers were sworn in under the grant.
On the eve of the first officers coming onto their school assignments, Small took to social media to herald how he and his wife "are out here really making HISTORY."
The same officer will be in each school all 180 days of the school year, he explained.
"We rather have options and not need them, than need option and not have them," he said. "We can't take the approach of school shootings can not happen in Atlantic City, so we will be prepared by having our officers on the front line and, more importantly, creating positive relationships with the students and staff."
