Police chief names SROs at Galvin, Blue Hills

Following up on his goal to add more school resource officers, Police Chief Ken Berkowitz has named Police Sergeant Chuck Rae and Officer Ted Lehan to be the SROs assigned to the Galvin Middle School.

In addition, an officer will serve as SRO at the Blue Hills Regional Technical School two days a week. Berkowitz is hoping that Officer Scott Connor, who has served as officer liaison in the past, will return to the post once he returns from injury leave. If Connor is unable to return, Berkowitz will name another officer as his replacement.

In addition, Sgt. Rae has been selected to oversee the SRO program at all the schools. A 10-year veteran who currently works on the midnight shift, Rae has a criminal justice degree and a master’s degree in counseling.

Lehan has also served on the police force for 10 years and works on the 4 p.m. to midnight shift. He will split the position at the Galvin with Rae and will continue to work a few days a week as a patrol officer. Between both officers, the GMS will have an officer at the school every day of the week.

The creation of the additional SRO positions came in the wake of the school shooting incident in Newtown, Connecticut, and followed additional security training between the department and school staff.

Berkowitz said the Canton High School SRO model has gone so well under the leadership of Detective Chip Yeaton (now president of the Mass. Juvenile Police Officers Association) that he wanted to expand the program at other schools and was able to receive the additional funding through the support of selectmen, the advisory committee, and town meeting voters.

Berkowitz said his goal in naming the SRO position at GMS is to identify at-risk students or students with discipline, truancy or attendance problems before they get to the high school. “We are hoping we get them back on track before they are problems,” said Berkowitz. He is hoping the GMS staff makes the necessary communication and referrals to either Rae or Lehan.

The SROs at all the schools will be teaching classes or assisting teachers in instruction and also assisting with school safety and security procedures. In the classroom, the officers will be covering bullying and cyber bullying, as well as alcohol and substance abuse awareness training.

The naming of the SRO officers follows the recent appointments of three patrolmen: police academy graduates Zack Pearlstein and Tim Taylor and transfer Ryan Sceviour.

School Superintendent Jeff Granatino was equally excited about the expansion of the SRO program.

“We are excited to add the SRO position to the talented team of educators and administrators at the Galvin Middle School,” said Granatino. “Beyond the enhancement to our school safety, having an experienced officer serving as a resource to our students and staff at the GMS will have a positive impact on the school climate. With an SRO in the school, we hope to be able to identify possible problems before they arise as well as educate students in ways to promote positive behaviors in and out of school. We are happy with the dynamic in place with the SRO at the high school, and we are confident that this position will have a similar impact on the middle school.

“I want to thank Chief Berkowitz and his team for working with the schools to make this happen, and we appreciate the support the town showed by providing the funding for this position. Many schools are unable to carry one SRO, let alone two, so I am quite aware of how fortunate we are to be in this position.”

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=22185

Posted by Mike Berger on Sep 5 2013. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.