School Safety Officers: First Year Draws Praise

When it was first proposed several years ago, there was some pushback to the idea of a School Resource Officer at Staples High School.

Why, some people wondered, should a uniformed police officer walk the halls?

Today, the SRO is an integral part of Staples. Staff and students admire and trust “Officer Ed” Wooldridge.

He helps keep the school safe — and has been an important first responder in a few situations.

Just as importantly, he’s another resource for students with concerns about everything from mental health and social media to drugs, alcohol and sexual assault.

Nearly every student knows him. Their banter is easy. He’s a daily reminder that the Westport Police Department’s job is to make everyone feel more — not less — secure.

Staples’ School Resource “Officer Ed” Wooldridge.

A year ago, when Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice and Police Chief Foti Koskinas proposed adding 4 School Safety Officers, some Westporters again balked.

Why, they wondered, was a police presence needed around our elementary schools? What kind of message would that send? Was the expense worth it?

Nearly a year after the SSOs began patrolling parking lots and school perimeters; interacting with staff, students and parents; dealing with occasional incidents in and around 8 schools, their value is clear.

Even opponents agree: SSOs work.

In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre, Koskinas says, Westport schools and the police focused on safety measures like bollards, film on windows and numbers above outside doors. Then-superintendent Elliott Landon opposed a police presence inside schools.

His successor Colleen Palmer, and a different Board of Education, re-examined security issues, and proposed an SRO in every school. The Representative Town Meeting voted it down, by a very narrow margin.

In 2017 — as school shootings continued– an SRO for Staples was approved.

Then came Parkland and Uvalde. Scarice — the new superintendent — was familiar with the positive effects of a police presence in and around schools.

He, Koskinas and the Board of Education developed a plan to augment Wooldridge — Staples’ School Resource Officer — with 4 School Safety Officers.

Each would be responsible for 2 campuses: Staples/Bedford Middle School; Coleytown Middle/Elementary; Kings Highway/Saugatuck, and Long Lots/Greens Farms.

Their roles would include helping with student drop-offs and pick-ups; checking doors and perimeters; enforcing speed zones around schools; responding to emergencies, and being available for advice and guidance.

Part of the School Safety Officers’ job is managing traffic, like this that backs up on Post Road West at Kings Highway Elementary School. (Photo/Dick Lowenstein)

Choosing the 4 SSOs was a deliberate process. Koskinas did not want it to be a burdensome assignment; he wanted people who enjoyed being in a school environment.

The officers went through a lengthy interview process, and were vetted by the Board of Ed, and assistant superintendent for human resources John Bayers.

Sergeant Sean Kelley — who oversees the program — and Deputy Chief Ryan Paulsson met with parent groups, to explain what SSOs would and would not do.

The School Safety Officers are Shane Pucci, Ned Batlin, Rachel Hall and Dennis Broderick.

The first year of the program has been very successful, say Koskinas, Kelley and school personnel.

SSOs have identified traffic choke points, helping vehicles move more smoothly in and around schools, and worked with administrators on communicating changes.

On Easton Road near the Coleytown schools, the SSO has made over 150 traffic stops.

One SSO covers the 2 Coleytown schools.

They make sure buildings are secure, and look for vulnerabilities that can be addressed.

Kelley — who earlier in his career worked in the youth division — calls the first year “a really good experience. The SSOs are definitely involved with schools and staffs. They’ve been integrated even more than I expected. There are lots of fist bumps every day.

“They’ve gotten to know the kids. They go to their plays, and other events.”

The SSOs have gotten to know parents too. “We get a lot of thank-you, and ‘we’re happy you’re here.'”

Bedford Middle School principal Dr. Adam Rosen says his school has “benefited substantially from the School Safety Office program.

Staples High School SRO Ed Wooldridge and Staples/Bedford Middle SSO Shane Pucci wear orange ribbons, to raise awareness of teen dating violence.

“Our SSO, Officer Shane Pucci, has quickly become a welcome and contributing member of the Bedford community.

“While he assists our students, staff and parents with school functions and campus operations, it’s when students invite him to play basketball with them during recess that demonstrates the positive connection and trust he’s engendered within our school community.”

Officer Batlin — the SSO at Long Lots and Greens Farms Elementary School — calls this “a fantastic year. The school staffs, the parents, and most importantly the students have been amazing.

Ned Batlin — shown here at the 4th of July fireworks — is a popular School Safety Officer at 2 schools. 

“Initially they were very curious about me and my role on campus. Now, I’ve blended into being just another member.

“I love interacting with the kids. They have so many questions.

“Last weekend I was coaching my son’s Fairfield lacrosse team in a big tournament in New Canaan. A lot of Westport students came up and said hi. One of the dads I coach with said, ‘that’s so cool!'”

Officers Dennis Broderick (Coleytown Middle and Elementary School) and Rachel Hall (Saugatuck/Kings Highway).

“We threw a lot at them. They’ve really stepped up,” says Koskinas.

“We’ll never know what they deter,” he notes.

But what Koskinas, Kelley and the SSOs do know is this: They’ve found a place, in and around every school in town.