Assemblyman Townsend asks Governor to re-think plan for School Resource Officers
Assemblyman David Townsend says schools in his district would lose 15 resource officers, and he is asking Governor Paterson to re-think his budget cuts and keep state troopers in New York's schools.Keep STATE TROOPERS in New York Schools? Doesn't Mr. Townsend know that state troopers are the creme-de-la-creme of law enforcement officers -- and command a very high salary?
What is amazing is how this gig ever got started . . . Interaction among some public employee unions, perhaps? Inflating pensions with overtime, perhaps? Let the school districts contract with local police forces (at a lower cost) if need be. School districts get plenty of money from the state anyway.
The Governor is correct on this one and Mr. Townsend is wrong.
Troopers are paid way too much to be assigned to "interact with students."
5 comments:
"Interact with students"? I thought that was the teacher's job.
Strikeslip you have hit a homerun again.
The Governor is uncharacteristically trying to make a responsible cut that will not cost any additional tax dollars. Thanks to the former Pataki administration, who gave the Troopers the gift of binding arbitration, there is a hiring freeze placed on the Troopers. This is largely due to their excessive wages and fringe benefits that binding arbitration bestowed upon the Troopers. The average New York State Trooper has an actual wage and compensation package that is greater than a freshman member of the State Assembly. The resulting hiring freeze has recently caused the Troopers to advise the Town of New Hartford that there is insufficient State Police manpower to augment any local police force cuts. (http://www.uticaod.com/news/newhartford/x985827073/Tyksinski-rethinks-approach-to-New-Hartford-policing).
There should be no question that the School, Police, Corrections, and other Law Enforcement Unions play a huge role in prompting the Assemblyman’s plea for the reinstatement of resource Troopers in the schools. The list of political contributor public employee unions is extensive to say the least. (http://www.elections.state.ny.us:8080/plsql_browser/CONTRIBUTORA_COUNTY?ID_in=A02531&date_From=&date_to=&AMOUNT_From=&AMOUNT_to=&ZIP1=&ZIP2=&ORDERBY_IN=N&CATEGORY_IN=ALL) Why would any rational thinking individual question the Assemblyman’s motive for his request? This may be the reason why political campaign reform will likely fail in New York State.
Governor Patterson should direct the Commissioner of Education in New York State to adopt new rules and regulations that change the requirement that school administrators must be certified within the Educational Field.
This method of recruting and hiring people whose credentials are less than stellar should be replaced by proven business community members.
Allowing for individuals with a solid business acumen is the CHANGE that is drastically needed in New York State Schools.
Enough of these Superintendent's who have no business smarts. Nor do we need anymore "educators" if they ever were that.
Governor Patterson, please change these archaic laws in New York State.
School budgets across the state could and should be trimmed by not less than one third or thirty three percent.
As ans ex Sherriff patrol officer, Townsend constantly courts the law inforcement vote. It is all politics and has nothing to do with school issues.
I made the statement that Strikeslip hit a homerun. This was true, however it was not before Strikeslip hit a foul ball before the homerun sailed over the centerfield fence. I am referring to Strikeslip’s statement “that state troopers are the creme-de-la-creme of law enforcement officers.” If there is truly any state the law enforcement officers that stand out from the crowd as the crème-de-la-crème, the State Division of Parole Officers are. These Officers often work alone knocking on doors, in the early pre dawn hours of the morning, in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the nation. Now this takes genuine GUTS. With some of the sophisticated firepower on the streets today, their savvy professional street smarts augmented by an astoundingly thin Kevlar vest, is oftentimes the only thing standing between their life and certain death. Now these women and men are truly the “the creme-de-la-creme of law enforcement officers.” These are the expert officers that could advise school officials as to which students are in need of intervention before they become career criminals. The State Troopers would do well to perform the duties of road patrol officers and protecting the citizens who reside in the rural areas of the state.
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