By BRETT R. WHITLING
Clarion News writer
During the recent Allegheny-Valley School Board meeting, Carmichael presented an opportunity for the school to hire retired state police officers for the school as opposed to hiring a school resource officer.
Carmichael said the difference is a school resource officer is a person employed by a police department that has jurisdiction due to the location of the school. A resource officer’s primary interest and loyalty is to the police department which means they answer to that department.
A school police officer is actually hired by a school district and enforces the law and school rules only within the school grounds.
“We’re not interested in being part of a local police department,” Carmichael said. “We’re looking to become employees of a school district so we answer to you and you only. Our loyalty will be to you.”
Boltz and Carmichael are from the area and would like to stay local. They are only offering their services to A-C Valley, Redbank and Union school districts.
They don’t anticipate every school wanting them so they are not worried about a three-way battle for their services.
Carmichael explained the school can benefit from two retired state police troopers with their experience of being officers and the cost.
The two are not looking for retirement or healthcare benefits as they already have those from the state.
Carmichael said the costs of hiring them over someone just out of a police academy would be significantly less.
“The younger the police officer is, the more apt they will be looking for another placement that pays more,” said Carmichael.
They would consider themselves at-will employees and have no interest in being part of a union.
Carmichael said the benefit is if the school decides not to continue security services for the following school year, they can cancel the contract without any issues.
Together Carmichael and Boltz have 50-years of experience.
Boltz has 18 years serving in a vice unit and has experience with drugs and drug activity, especially in school districts.
Carmichael spent over 10 years in criminal investigation and one of the first officers to receive the safe schools training after the Columbine shooting in 1999.
Carmichael said they would wear a simple uniform labeling them as A-C Valley police.
As far as weaponry and defense items, they would carry a handheld gun and handcuffs.
Discussion
The board discussed the opportunity at the end of the meeting.
Despite Carmichael saying they want to be school employees, board member Jennifer Feicht requested clarification if they would actually work for the school or be a consultant to the school. Feicht clarified saying she wants to know who will be paying their employment taxes, the school or themselves.
Board member Kelly Terwilliger questioned if the school would have the funding to support the officers.
Superintendent David McDeavitt said they were requesting $18 per hour and a rough calculation would come out to $50,000 per year.
The board did not make a decision at the meeting.
As a follow up to the discussion, board member Glenn Gross said, “Believe me, I never thought I’d see the day where we have to protect our schools with police because somebody might come in and do the wrong things.”