Port Chester SRO could be in schools by end of month

September 18, 2024 at 11:22 p.m.

After months of negotiation, the Port Chester Board of Trustees has approved a contract to allow a Village police officer to start working in the Port Chester School District as a School Resource Officer. The Board of Education was slated to vote on the agreement on Thursday, Sept. 19. (File Photo/Westmore News)

Eight months after the Port Chester Board of Education officially moved to implement a School Resource Officer (SRO) program across the school district, the necessitated partnership with the Village of Port Chester to make the initiative complete is almost ready to go.

During a special meeting on Thursday, Sept. 12, the Port Chester Board of Trustees approved an agreement to provide an SRO to the school district’s four elementary schools. The Board of Education was expected to vote on the contract at their monthly meeting on Thursday, Sept. 19.

“The attorneys were working out the structure of the contract, but we are happy that it is complete now,” said Superintendent Dr. Aurelia Henriquez. If the school board approves the terms on Thursday, the district and police department officials predict an SRO will be in the halls by the end of the month.

Establishing an SRO program was one of the defining moments of the Port Chester School District’s 2023-24 school year. After months of discussions, deliberations and committee meetings, the school board approved the program in January with intent to implement it as soon as possible.

It’s an initiative that depends on cross-municipal collaboration.

Because the school district spans across the Villages of Port Chester and Rye Brook, the police departments of both municipalities, tasked with providing an SRO certified law enforcement official, have jurisdiction over different buildings. The middle and high schools are in Rye Brook, while all four elementary schools are in Port Chester. Thus, two different contracts needed to be negotiated to maintain a holistic presence.

The program’s current design has one officer from the Rye Brook police splitting time between the middle and high school, while one Port Chester police officer rotates through the four elementary schools.

Within a few weeks of the school district’s authorization, in February, Officer Orelvis Lazala of the Rye Brook police started reporting for duty on the campuses. But the same could not be said for Moises Ochoa, the Port Chester cop assigned to the SRO position.

Contract negotiations between the school district and Village were ongoing, and as months went on it became clear an SRO from the Port Chester Police Department would not be active for the 2023-24 school year.

But it seems headway has now been made.

In an email, Village Manager Stuart Rabin said there was nothing unusual about the time it took for a contract with the school district to be solidified.

“The original contract that was provided to the Village was the school district’s agreement with Rye Brook,” he said. “That agreement needed to be reviewed, redlined and updated for Port Chester and its proprietary operations as the Port Chester police department’s functionality and responsibility was different.”

“The only real other points that needed to be ironed were related to the reimbursement of fiscal costs for the officer being accurate,” he added.

The newly approved contract is largely akin to the initial proposal, particularly in terms of purpose and regulations of the SRO program. Payment nuances are the key difference.

While the initial proposal set forth a $140 per hour reimbursement rate for the SRO on duty, the contract now indicates that the district will provide partial payment to the Village for the officer’s salary—responsible for 5/6^th of his annual wages and benefits.

The contract is also only valid for one year, expiring at the end of August 2025. The initial proposal suggested a five-year term.

“We’re excited,” said Port Chester Police Captain Charles Nielsen, who had thrown his full support behind the program since discussions first started. His goal, “his dream,” is to ultimately see it expanded, allowing for a police officer to be present in every building.

He noted that Officer Thomas Sorbella has already been designated as the backup SRO—if Ochoa is out sick or on vacation, the Port Chester police will still be on duty at the schools.

“This lets us build rapport, build relationships. Those kids will remember those officers forever,” Nielsen said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about the SRO at the middle and high school. We’ve already worked together with him; I’m sure this will work out well for everyone.”