New Jersey School Security Program Suspended Pending Investigation

New Jersey School Security Program Suspended Pending Investigation

Palisades Park schools suspends security program and calls for investigation into the hiring of security guards.

Parlisades Park indefinitely suspended a program in which nine former police officers had been serving as armed guards in the New Jersey borough's public schools after it was found that they had been hired without submitting resumes or undergoing background checks or psychological exams.

David Lorenzo, the borough's administrator, made the announcement a day after the school board, in a special meeting, pulled two of the security guards from their posts. The borough and the school board each called for an investigation into the origins of the shared-serves agreement under which the security program was created.

Borough police officers will be assigned to guard the district's three public schools until further notice, Lorenzo said.

The suspension of the security program came after NewJersey.com published an investigation that delved into the backgrounds of some of the guards, all of whom are retired police officers.

The probe found that some of the guards had been accused in the past of some serious offenses, including aggravated assault, police brutality and lying to authorities. In addition, the report found that two of the guards were carrying handguns after their permits had expired. None of the guards have been convicted of a crime. 

The state Department of Education is reviewing the matter, a spokesperson said.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Beyond Containment: Redefining Cybersecurity and the Digital Campus at Washington College

    In the aftermath of a ransomware attack, Washington College stood at a crossroads — its legacy defined by centuries of academic excellence, but its digital infrastructure revealing the fragile underbelly of modern campus operations. Read Now

  • California School District Protects Campuses With Cloud-Managed Access Control

    Established in 1901 in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Mountain View Los Altos High School District (MVLA) serves 4,400 students across the cities of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. It houses two award-winning high school campuses commonly ranked in the top 1 percent nationally; it also hosts a continuation high school, an adult education campus, an alternative academy for arts and technology, and a nontraditional high school program held at an innovation center. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Read Now