The Deliberate Step of Arming Our Campus Police

A superintendent shares about the decision to arm campus officers

We have employed campus police officers in the Cherry Hill, N.J., schools since the early 1980s, but the structure, size and scope of the once four-person department changed dramatically last April.

Until then, under board of education policy, the campus officers, while sworn law enforcement personnel, did not carry a handgun. Like so many communities across the country, ours was dramatically impacted by the mass tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in February 2018. A month later, following student actions and town meetings coupling emotional debate over how best to secure the schools and to protect students and staff, nine township police officers were assigned to the school district for the remainder of the academic year.

This led to a shared services agreement between the township police force and the school district and the well-considered decision to arm our campus police officers, who would remain employees of the district. Board discussions about arming campus officers had taken place multiple times over the past 35 years.

Ahead of the Curve

Working as an officer in schools is not the same as working for a municipal police department because the opportunity to work with children differs dramatically from working with the general population. We decided as an educational community to take this major step, but we also had to do this effectively.

To that end, the campus police force, which reports to the district’s director of security, was expanded from four unarmed officers to nine armed officers. Both of Cherry Hill’s comprehensive high schools have two officers assigned to them, all three of the district’s middle schools have one officer assigned to them, and two officers in police cruisers — branded with the district’s campus police emblem — share time at our 12 elementary schools, early childhood center and administrative building/alternative high school. These nine officers are the only armed campus police employed by a public school system in New Jersey.

In making the commitment to fully equip our officers and more than double the department’s size, the Cherry Hill School District stepped in front of the curve. We considered it vital to hold the armed officers to the same professional training all staff receive in cultural proficiency, equity and character education. We wanted them to be educated about working with children of varying levels of ability or disability. The training is ongoing and embedded in their work.

Soliciting Perspectives

In deciding to expand our force, two of the most important considerations were how to pay for the additional officers and how to select the right individuals. We dedicated nearly $500,000 of additional state aid to our campus police department for 2018-19. That covered salary and benefits for the five additional officers plus a full rebranding of the department with new uniforms, patches and a complement of equipment, including handguns and ammunition.

The administrative team, with input from the school board, created an interview structure that drew upon the expertise and the perspective of diverse members of our community. Our security director and human resources jointly conducted the interview process, and the interview panel consisted of district staff and administrators as well as representatives of various constituency groups, including the Cherry Hill African American Civic Association, the Cherry Hill Hispanic Civic Association, the Cherry Hill Special Education PTA, the Cherry Hill Zone PTA and the Cherry Hill Police Department. The diverse voices and perspectives informed the process well.

We hired five excellent candidates, with sundry professional and life experiences. All five campus police officers are parents, some with school-aged children and some with high school graduates. One has a special-needs child, and some live in Cherry Hill. Most importantly to all who were involved in the process, we hired five human beings who have chosen to dedicate this stage of their careers and lives to providing a safe and secure environment for our more than 11,000 children and nearly 1,700 staff members of the Cherry Hill Public Schools.

We are better and safer now because of who these nine campus police officers and our director of security are as people and professionals.