COLTS NECK – The Township Committee has agreed to a shared services agreement with the Freehold Regional High School District to place an armed Class III special law enforcement officer (SLEO) at Colts Neck High School each day during the 2018-19 school year.
Class III officers are recently retired individuals who had a career in law enforcement. The SLEOs are police department employees and have full police powers while on duty.
Colts Neck will split the cost of the SLEO with the high school district. The officer, former Colts Neck Police Officer Kevin Walsh, will be stationed at the high school from Sept. 1 through June 2019. Walsh will be paid $30 an hour, according to municipal officials.
Both parties will pay an equal share of the officer’s salary and other expenses such as radios, uniforms, body armor, ammunition, a weapon and gas. The parties agreed their respective responsibility for the officer’s expenses would not exceed $8,000 each.
The high school district’s Board of Education is expected to take action on the agreement during its July 23 meeting, according to Colts Neck officials.
The duties of the SLEO at the high school will be to provide security at school activities and functions including, but not limited to school opening, school assembly, lunch, recess (where possible), school dismissal, after-school activities, sports and functions, provided the officer averages no more than eight working hours per school day each week.
Municipal officials said the township is expected to enter into a similar agreement with the Colts Neck K-8 School District.
