It’s a proactive program that allows for police officers to positively interact with students as advisors, educators and law enforcement officers. It also gives the police the opportunity to identify and deal with potentially explosive situations before they become catastrophic.
Former Putnam County Sheriff Robert Thoubboron first brought the School Resource Program to New York State in 1995. The Sheriff had been vacationing at his daughter’s Florida home. While visiting the high school where his daughter’s husband taught, his curiosity was sparked when he spotted a sheriff’s patrol car in the school lot. He assumed the deputy was presenting some type of program, similar to DARE, at the high school level. The Sheriff was quite surprised to learn that a deputy sheriff was assigned to the school. His vacation plans changed as he scrambled to learn everything he could about Florida’s school resource officer program.

So this was New York State’s introduction to the School Resource Officer Program. Needless to say, Sheriff Thoubboron had to make a strong commitment to educating the secondary school community on the advantages of the school resource officer program. He also had to convince the school boards to fund the program. His effort resulted in two Putnam County Deputy Sheriffs assigned to Carmel and the Manopac High Schools.

Sheriff Thoubborn also took the time to educate his fellow Sheriffs and other law enforcement agencies through the State on the merits of the program.

The concept of police officers in schools took on a whole new urgency as a result of the horrific events on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado. “Sadly, Columbine became part of the modern lexicon as a synonym for school violence,” stated Sheriff Ron Spike, who Chairs the Sheriffs’ Institute Board of Directors. “In New York State, thanks to former Sheriff Bob Thoubboron we had a program in place, law enforcement was in a position to provide a program that would address the fears of the high school students, parents, teachers and school administrators.”

Sheriff Charles D.W. Houper, the former Chemung County Sheriff, was one of New York’s law enforcement executives to answer the post Columbine fears. He established a School Resource Officer program at Southside High School in Elmira.

It’s a Valentine’s Day, 2001. An 18-year-old student brought 18 homemade bombs and two loaded guns to school. No one was hurt. None of the bombs went off and not a single shot was fired. Deputy Sheriff Robert Hurley, Southside’s School Resource Officer interceded before the violence could occur.

“I had a gut feeling, “Deputy Hurley, a 20 year veteran of the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, told the Star Gazette newspaper. “It’s a feeling I never had before. It’s a feeling I hope, I never have again. I truly believe it was St. Michael (the patron saint of police officers) punching me in the gut.”

“A big part of my job is to integrate into the school community and become part of the community,” Hurley said of his role. “I tried to build relationships that established trust and make the school community safer both through education and communication.
On this Valentine’s Day a female student handed him a note. The note was from a boy who had brought explosives to school, and it outlined his plan.

Deputy Hurley called his supervisor at the Sheriff’s Office requesting additional assistance. He then advised the school principal. The two of them went looking for the boy. He was not in his first period classroom. They tensely moved through the school and finally spotted him in the cafeteria. He was sitting across from a girl and a black bag was at his feet.

Deputy Hurley, in a matter-of-fact manner, opened the door and walked up to the boy. He knelt next to him and their eyes met. A brief conversation followed. The student passively allowed Hurley to pat him down. The deputy found a loaded .22 Ruger handgun and three “cricket bombs”.

The student was taken into custody and handcuffed. Deputy Hurley never touched the black bag. The school was evacuated. A state police bomb squad removed the black bag, which had contained 14 pipe bombs and disassembled shotgun.

“This could have been Columbine,” Jon Murnan, ATF special agent, told the Star Gazette.

Today the school resource officer program continues to flourish in New York State as municipal, county and state police officers walk their daily beats inside school communities.

The current Chemung County Sheriff Chris Moss has been very pleased with the School Resource Officer program and is always looking for opportunities to expand the program.

“It’s a real success story,” Sheriff Moss said of the program. “I strongly believe that it not only enhances the educational process, it plays a positive role in developing students to be stronger members of the community.”

Former disgraced Governor Elliot Spitzer had proposed in this year’s state budget that the state police discontinue their school resource officer program and assign those troopers to Operation Impact, which is a “surge” type law enforcement effort on urban areas. The sudden departure of Spitzer, combined with the New York State Senate’s strong belief that the trooper’s school resource officer program not be discontinued saved the program.

But now in the county of Putnam, that is responsible for bringing the school resource officer program to New York State, County Executive Robert Bondi is proposing the county taxpayers can’t afford the luxury of the deputy’s assigned to the schools anymore. He is suggesting that the school district pick up the cost of the program. Which is somewhat comical as Bondi is forgetting that it’s the same property taxpayer that pays county and school taxes.

Sheriff Don Smith, who’s tenure as Sheriff has seen a great awareness of the younger generation, was very troubled by Bondi’s proposed cut. He has vowed to work with the students, parents, teachers and school administrators to encourage the Putnam County Legislature to derail Bondi’s proposal.

The School Resource Officer program, which began with two Putnam County schools today, has 8 schools – each supported by one officer. “Sheriff Thoubboron had a remarkable foresight in bringing the school resource officer program to Putnam County,” stated Sheriff Smith, of his predecessor. “He thought that it was essential to the safety and security of the children of the county.”
Cops in high schools over the past 13 years have become the norm. The bottom line is our schools are safer and the education process is stronger because of former Sheriff Bob Thoubboron’s Florida vacation in the early 90’s.