Massena school district wants to find new police agency to provide in-school officer

By Andy Gardner

MASSENA. Massena Central’s Board of Education wants to find a new way to put an armed police officer in school after the village decided to not renew a contract to provide the service.

During their July 26 meeting, village Board of Trustees members said they didn’t think they should continue the service because the school district comprises residents of both inside and outside the village, but the village taxpayers are the only ones paying the bill. The school resource officer, Jody Daggett, was a village police officer who answered to the chief and spent his time on school grounds.

Superintendent Pat Brady said they have two options.

They could contract with a different police agency, referred to as a “special patrol officer,” which was Daggett’s title. Brady said they’ve reached out to the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office to see if they would be interesting in contracting with the district.

“They’re kind of reviewing it. I’m not sure what their decision will be,” Brady said, “This is the direction we want to go in”

The second option is district could directly hire an officer from the Civil Service list of school resource officers.

“We would have to hire that person directly. We would be responsible for arming, training, all those types of things. I’m not saying we can’t do it. I’m saying it would be something that’s not a normal process,” he said.

Board of Education President Pat Bronchetti said he doesn’t think the district should go in that direction.

“We’re not in the business of training and arming law enforcement or resource officers. I don’t think we should pursue that avenue,” Bronchetti said. “If the sheriff’s department decides to jump in and set up us the way we were previously, I think that’s a great idea.

“I don’t like the idea of us trying to train and arm someone. It’s out of our wheelhouse.”

Board of Education Trustee Kevin Perretta suggested seeing if New York State Police would contract with the district. Brady said “they’ve kind of gotten out of that” but hasn’t yet asked them for an answer.