Dear Editor:
As union president of the Hoboken Education Association and on behalf of the 250 members of the union, I ask that the City not lay off any Hoboken police officers or make any cuts in services within the police department.
As a matter of necessity the City should be working on filling the 19 police officer vacancies so that cop coverage within our City’s schools can resume once again.
As part of the SRO (School Resource Officers) Program, police officers were assigned to not only patrol inside our schools but also maintain a proactive security presence outside the school’s perimeters during recess. Unfortunately in 2007 these officers were pulled out of this vital assignment due to low staffing numbers within the police department.
The police officers were instrumental in providing a safe and sound learning environment for our students. They served as mentors, mediators, educators and positive role models for our children. These officers, when we had them, would lecture and speak out against bullying, gang affiliation and how to prevent and resist such behaviors and regularly instructed the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program.
Since these officers were taken away, the safety of our children, students, teachers and staff has been compromised. A partnership between cops and educators is key to the positive social development of our City’s youth.
Again, I urge the City to not lay off or demote officers within the Hoboken Police Department and move forward in re-implementing the cops in school programs so that our children are once again well protected and have the safe and sound learning environment.
Respectfully yours,
Gary Enrico, President
Hoboken Education Association