Morrisville School District hires security firm to replace school resource officer
Morrisville PA October 21 2019
Starting Monday, a private security guard from the private security U.S. Security Care began patrolling the halls of Morrisville schools.
Morrisville School District’s search for a new school resource officer is over.
In late September, the board voted unanimously to hire the firm to provide service to the borough’s two schools.
The approved one-year deal will pay an armed guard for $40 an hour and an unarmed guard $27, according to Superintendent Jason Harris.
The company provides security services for public, private and corporate events, according to its website.
While scheduled hours couldn’t be provided due to security reasons, the guard will work during after-school activities like football games. Last month, a Morrisville student was injured in a shooting that took place outside the high school after a football game.
The firm posted a listing for a position in borough schools on its website last month without the knowledge of district officials.
The listed job summary included patrolling “school facilities and grounds to prevent disruptive or illegal actions, access to restricted areas, theft or vandalism on an assigned or rotating shift.”
When reached via email, school board President Damon Miller said U.S. Security Care was one of three firms reviewed by the board during executive session.
While U.S. Security Care prematurely posted an ad “under their own presumptions,” it had no bearings on the decision to hire the firm, Miller said.
“My decision was based on their ability to provide the services I felt we needed in the district,” Miller added.
Harris said the board came to a collective decision based on interviews and review of qualifications and scope of work.
Grandview Elementary and the middle/high schools were without a dedicated police presence since Sept. 20 after the borough council voted in August to end its contract with the district to provide a school resource officer.
Officials said the decision was made so another officer could be added to the street following the suspension of Cpl. Michael Pitcher, who was suspended with pay in April. Pitcher faces charges in Bucks County court for allegedly misusing law enforcement resources to harass a Lower Makefield man for driving too slow.
Pitcher is scheduled to go on trial Jan. 8 in Bucks County court on charges felony unlawful use of a computer and misdemeanor charges of terroristic threats, official oppression and harassment. He is free on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Currently, the borough has eight full-time officers not including Pitcher and eight part-timers with two on the streets per shift, the chief said. Ideally, the department would have a total of three officers for each shift, he said.
McClay said that the department’s truck inspection unit recently was disbanded to put more officers on the street.
Borough officials said they do not anticipate cuts will be made to the police department for the 2020 budget.
Late last year, the council was at odds over police staffing for 2019. One of the earliest options presented to officials trying to fill a spending gap would have halved the then 10 full-time officers. One was laid off to help balance the budget, borough officials said.
At that time, residents were outspoken about the “worst-case scenario” budget plan that would have cut up to five full-time police officers, or half of the full-time officers on the borough force.
Borough officials said the four-year program that funded the SRO contract ended in July. The last year of the contract was funded primarily by the borough and was capped by $50,000 with the district picking up the rest, officials said.
In 2015, the borough was awarded a $320,000 three-year grant to fund the program.
Officer Chris Reardon started working for the Morrisville Police Department in June 2014, after patrolling Yardley streets for three years, and was installed at the school district in August of that year.
Since then he’s been a fixture at the Morrisville Middle/High School on West Palmer Street and Grandview Elementary on Grandview Avenue.
