When Dan Pronti was first elected North Arlington mayor, he made public safety a priority. After all, he’s a retired police sergeant himself.
He’s just added to his resume on keeping his word.
The Borough of North Arlington, collaboratively with the North Arlington Board of Education are enhancing school security by adding full-time School Resource Officers (SROs), who will play a consistent and active role in promoting safety and engagement in the borough’s public schools.
The SROs are fully trained members of the North Arlington Police Department (NAPD), each with multiple years of law enforcement service. Every public school in the borough will benefit from the officers’ ongoing presence.
The officers are responsible for maintaining safe learning environments for students of all ages. Their consistent presence in the schools is designed to build a level of comfort with the students, giving them the confidence to come to the officers in times of need or just to chat.
“SROs have had proven benefits across various districts, including preventing or reducing property damage on school grounds, decreasing the risk of student injuries or fatalities and reducing the frequency of 911 calls from schools,” North Arlington Police Chief Michael Horton said.
The SROs meet daily with school officials to discuss any potential issues. They also build ongoing strategies to proactively address any potential threats to student security.
The cost of the additional officers involved in the SRO program is shared between the Borough of North Arlington and the North Arlington Board of Education.
“It is essential that parents feel more assured and our students feel safe every time they walk through the doors of one of our schools,” North Arlington Mayor Daniel H. Pronti said. “The addition of SROs will only enhance the great learning environment our students enjoy and will be a welcomed addition to our academic community.”
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.