Broward school district hiring civilian 'safe school officers'
FORT LAUDERDALE - The Broward County Public Schools district is looking to hire dozens more armed guards to patrol its schools.
They have about 40 openings for armed safe school officers, these are civilians who will be responsible for keeping schools safe.
The positions are open right now and school police are hoping to get these so-called guardians in the hallways of schools as soon as possible.
This type of position was created after the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in an effort to add an extra layer of security to school campuses.
School police said they hope these guards will interact with the students and build relationships. The main goal, however, is for the guards to be armed and ready to act if there is a threat. To qualify, applicants need certain security licenses in the state and two years of some sort of experience, whether that is in security, military, or law enforcement.
"With the amount of unfortunate incidents lately in the media, related to school shootings and whatnot, the safety and security of our students is paramount," said BCPS police Lt. Cary Vesco. "Those schools that currently do not have an SRO are being filled with these armed civilians with the intention and idea of stopping a threat that comes onto the campus."
The safe school officer position is full-time and comes with benefits. School police said they hope to get these filled positions filled as soon as possible to make sure Broward schools are as safe as possible.