The Lawrence Township Police Department is stepping up its presence at public and private schools in the wake of the May 24 school shooting incident that killed 19 children and two teachers in Texas.
An 18-year-old man walked into the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and shot the children and their teachers in their classroom, according to published reports. He was killed by an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Patrol special agent.
Lawrence Township Police Chief Brian Caloiaro contacted Lawrence Township Public Schools officials and coordinated additional safety precautions, including the increased police presence.
Through a collaboration between the school district and the police department, a Lawrence Township police officer is assigned to work as the school resource officer at Lawrence High School.
There are also four Class III special police officers who are assigned to the rest of the Lawrence Township Public Schools, whose duties include providing school safety and security.
Class III special police officers are retired police officers. The minimum qualifications to become a Class III special police officer include being younger than 65 years old, and having retired from a municipal or county police department or the New Jersey State Police within three years of appointment to the position.
