The Plum Borough school board voted Tuesday to take the first steps toward creating an in-district police department.
First, school directors voted to give district Superintendent Brendan Hyland the authority to find qualified school police officers of good moral character, and directed the district solicitor to petition Allegheny County Common Pleas Court to approve the plan to have armed officers.
Then they voted to authorize officers who have been certified in firearms use by Pennsylvania and who are approved by the board to carry firearms.
Mr. Hyland said he will be looking for retired law enforcement officers with years of training for the jobs.
School Director Vicky Roessler, head of the board’s safe and supportive school committee, said the district included $300,000 in its 2018-19 budget for safety, of which $200,000 will be used for the police officers.
She said she does not believe the officers will have been hired by the beginning of the school year. Ms. Roessler said the district will hire a police chief plus one armed officer for each building, and will also retain its current school resource police officer.
Mr. Hyland said he will hire a supervisor first who will assist in the hiring of the other officers.
First Published: July 25, 2018, 1:47 a.m.