Armed Security Officer

Berlin Public Schools Armed Security Officer

Our Mission: We create learning experiences that promote a sense of purpose, ignite passion, and foster a sense of pride.

Position Summary and Purpose: The Berlin Public Schools Armed Security Officer (ASO) Program involves the placement of armed security officers within the educational environment. The ASO shall support the school administration, staff and school resource officer (SRO) in promoting a safe, secure, and positive school environment. The ASO is a visible and active figure at the schools, and shall be charged with safeguarding and protecting the school community and school property.

Essential Duties and Functions: Subject to the provisions of any applicable federal and/or Connecticut State law, Berlin Board of Education policies and procedures, and/or Town of Berlin ordinances, the essential duties and functions of ASOs shall be as follows:

• Engage in the detection and/or prevention of any unauthorized activity on or around school grounds, including, but not limited to, the unlawful intrusion or entry on school property, vandalism, abuse, arson or trespass;
• Monitor access of building and grounds (when applicable), make routine checks of exterior doors to ensure they are closed and locked, at appropriate times, and take steps to deter or prevent entry by unauthorized persons on school property;
• Patrol halls and make routine checks of classroom doors to ensure that they are locked, at appropriate times;
• Respond to situations which may jeopardize the welfare of students or staff in accordance with all applicable federal and/or Connecticut laws and Board policy;
• Monitor parking lots during arrival at and dismissal from school;
• Assist administrators or staff in locating missing students;
• Identify and report any hazardous condition to school administrators or other appropriate staff members;
• When applicable, assist school nurse and administrators with medical emergencies;
• As requested by the administration, assist in the development and implementation of plans and strategies to prevent and/or to minimize dangerous situations on school grounds;
• Act as liaison and make notification to appropriate public safety or EMS first responders in routine, emergency or high-risk situations as directed by the administration;
• Meet and greet students, staff, and public respectfully and courteously;
• Identify and appropriately address unauthorized persons and take appropriate action with respect to such persons, if necessary;
• Call police for assistance as needed;
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Superintendent of Schools and/or the building principal.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrative of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar or a logical assignment to the position.

Minimum Qualifications: High school diploma or equivalent required, Bachelor's degree preferred. Must have excellent integrity and demonstrate good moral character and initiative; Must have at least fifteen years prior experience as a sworn law enforcement officer with an organized local police department or the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and provide positive references from each prior employer served in a law enforcement capacity; Must have been certified by the Police Officer Standards and Training Council while serving as a sworn law enforcement officer, and must have retired or separated in good standing from an organized local police department or the Division of State Police as required by CT General Statute 10-244a; Must successfully complete annual training pursuant to the Police Officer Standards and Training Council requirements and must successfully complete an annual firearm training provided by the Berlin Police Department or a certified firearms instructor that meets or exceeds the standards of the Police Officer Standards and Training Council, as well as any other training required by law or Board policy; Must keep all security certification and training requirements current, including but not limited to, permits, certifications and/or licenses to carry and use firearms or other weapons, on school property; Must participate in and pass a full background investigation which may be required by the Board or by state or federal law; Must meet all requirements for an armed school security guard pursuant to Connecticut law, as amended from time to time, and must meet all requirements of a qualified retired law enforcement officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 926C, as amended from time to time.

Knowledge, Abilities, Skills & Equipment: Knowledge: Comprehensive knowledge of: Principles and practices of armed security work within a school setting; Weapons maintenance, discharge and storage; The use of force; Access control procedures; Active threat response; and Other emergency response protocols. Abilities: Demonstrated abilities as follows: Read and comprehend instructions, correspondence and memoranda; Write basic correspondence as needed within the job functions; Add, subtract, multiply and divide, to calculate figures and amounts, and to apply mathematical concepts to time and distance; Define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions; Interpret a variety of instructions in oral, written, or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete concepts where only limited standardization exists; Handle multiple tasks and prioritize activities with a minimal level of supervision; Ability to comply and enforce administrative policies, procedures and directives; Work within chain of command to resolve problems; and Observe situations and accurately determine an effective course of action. Skills: Demonstrated skills as follows: Excellent interpersonal skills; Excellent oral and written communication skills; Ability to work independently and exercise good judgement and common sense appropriate to the related circumstances; Excellent organization skills; Work cooperatively with multiple types of people from diverse ages and backgrounds (i.e. students, teachers, police officers, principals, parents, etc.); Use of effective, respectful and courteous communication; Resourceful, accurate, reliable, punctual and accountable in all matters; and Ability to maintain confidentiality of job-related information. Equipment: Must lawfully possess a fully functional firearm of a make and model as may be specified and provided by the Berlin Board of Education.

Physical and Mental Demands of Position: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. With or without reasonable accommodation, the physical and mental requirements of this job may include the following: seeing, hearing, speaking, and writing clearly. Occasional reaching with hands and arms, stooping, kneeling, crouching, and crawling. Frequent sitting, standing, running, and walking, which may be required for long periods of time, and may involve climbing stairs and walking up inclines and on uneven terrain. Additional physical requirements may include, frequent lifting and/or moving up to 20 pounds and occasional lifting and/or moving up to 50 pounds. Hand-eye coordination is necessary to use a handgun. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, far vision and the ability to adjust focus. Required to utilize rapid and effective judgment in responding to unusual or emergency situations using appropriate escalation of force level.

Supervision: The ASO shall report directly to the Security, Safety and Residency Director, as it relates to daily basic school security and safety issues. With respect to weapons issues, the ASO shall be under the direct supervision of the Superintendent of Schools and Security, Safety and Residency Director. The building principal retains overall responsibility for the administration of the school and supervision of students under his or her supervision.

Terms of Employment: This is a full-time hourly position working M-F following the school year calendar. The first 90 calendar days will be paid the probationary hourly rate of $29.12. After successful completion of the probationary period, the regular hourly rate will be $32.36. Equal Opportunity Employer