Governor’s proposed budget would ax Wayne County school Student Resource Officer funds

Money would be used to fund City's Operation Impact

Trooper Greg Brinkman has served as the SRO in Williamson since the program began there. He said his interaction with students is a potent tool to the schools and the community

New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer's proposed State budget would deal a severe blow to Wayne County 's Student Resource Officer (SRO) program according to area school superintendents. Currently, the State Police have SROs in Wayne Central, Williamson, Gananda, Marion , Sodus, North Rose-Wolcott and Red Creek.

The in-school police presence began 6 years ago with a federal grant and was picked up by the State Police in 2006 after schools responded positively to the program. SRO officers are assigned to full-time positions within rural schools and provide pro-active safety, community liaison, counseling and classroom assistance. There are a reported 93 SROs throughout the State, including those in Wayne County . The SRO program has been credited with solving numerous crimes in and out of schools with student involvement and communication with the officers.

In a carefully-worded statement by the Governor's Division of Budget and Governor's Press Office, the Governor “recommends the redeployment of School Resource Officers at the conclusion of the current school year. These resources will be focused on our primary responsibilities and fundamental priorities including highway safety and the enhancement of crime reduction programs such as Operation IMPACT. State Police will remain committed to working with school districts with their emergency planning and overall school safety programs. Troopers on patrol will continue to maintain the cooperative and interpersonal relationships established prior to, and during the SRO program.”

Although the City of Rochester has over 700 police officers, under the State's Project Impact to help reduce inner-city crime, State Troopers have been pulled off their regular duties and assigned to work with City Police. The ending of the SRO program would fund and assign local troopers to Impact duties on a more regular basis.

According to Red Creek School Superintendent Dave Sholes, “The program has been great up here and made the schools safer. To pull them out at this time would be unbelievable.”

Sodus Village Police Chief, Sharon Purdy said that Sodus School officials were very upset by the Governor's actions “Our SRO touches the lives of 900 students. He (Daryl Burrows) is a great role model. He knows each child,” said Chief Purdy.

Acting Gananda School Superintendent Hal Ferguson said that by pulling the SROs, the Governor may be solving one problem in the city, but starting another problem in the rural schools.

“I can't imagine the impact this will have upon the kids,” said State Police Lieutenant Rick Oyer, who, along with State Police Sergeant Jim McCormack oversees the SRO program for Troop E out of Canandaigua.

Williamson Town Supervisor and Wayne County Board of Supervisor Chairman Jim Hoffman said he was unaware of the Governor's plan to eliminate the SRO program. Jim, a retired State Police Staff Inspector, said he would hope the Governor would reconsider the move and keep the Troopers deployed within the schools.

Marion School Superintendent Kathy Wegman said she was presenting the SRO elimination to her school board and along with other area school superintendents was writing to area State Assemblyman Robert Oaks and State Senator Michael Nozzolio along with letters to Governor Spitzer in protest of the budget move.