A federal grant that has paid for a police officer at Mount Blue High School has run out.
FARMINGTON – Officer Shane Campbell will remain at his current post in the Mount Blue High School, at least through Jan. 1, 2004, SAD 9 directors agreed Tuesday night.
Last month, the district learned that a federal grant that has supported the Community Oriented Policing Services program since its inception in 1997 was not re-approved, leaving them scrambling to find a way to pay for the program by the start of school next fall.
Campbell has been at the school since 2000, and district officials say since then student infractions have declined and students feel more comfortable around the police.
On Tuesday night, while ballots for the district’s controversial budget were being counted in the nine-town district, directors tried to find a way to keep Campbell on board.
A motion for the district to pay his position through Jan. 1, 2004, while other grant funds are sought, was unanimously accepted by a group of directors who said Campbell has made a difference.
Directors also gave the Farmington Police Department the thumbs-up for applying for a COPS grant of $125,000. That would pay for an officer in the school over the next three years, with the stipulation that the district would pay for the policing services the fourth year, a figure in the mid-$30,000 range.
If the competitive grant was approved, directors said they would like to look into squirreling away money over the three-year period to place less of a burden on taxpayers in the fourth year.
The COPS grant comes through the Department of Justice office and totals $20.5 million spread throughout 36 states to hire 180 additional officers to protect the nation’s schools.
“People, I think, feel very good about this,” Superintendent Michael Cormier said Tuesday night, speaking of the officer in the school. “It makes a tremendous difference. Most of the schools are finding it’s a very positive influence.”
Cormier also pointed out that it’s not the position, but the individual, echoing the sentiment of dozens of people who have sent letters of support for Campbell to the district and the police department since the announcement of the grant denial.
When the program was first introduced in 1997, many feared that the school would turn into a police state. With Campbell’s gentle-yet-firm presence, those fears have been dispelled.
Board member Greg Webber admitted he used to be one of the skeptics, but now is a believer in the program. “I’ve been sold on this program,” he said. “It’s been invaluable to us. I don’t know really how we’d get along without this program. I certainly think this is best for the district.”
sdepoy@sunjournal.com
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