Seamless pg 1 9-29-22
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School Security
From left: Putnam School Superintendent Daniel Sullivan II, Police Chief Christopher Ferace, Joe Mattera, Julie St. Jean, Chris Toney, David Mattioli with Ambrie and Detective Donna Brown. Linda Lemmon photo.
Seamless
school
security
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Because it was a common interest, a common bond it took only six weeks to put the school security officers in all three Putnam schools.
School Superintendent Daniel Sullivan II said he and Putnam Police Chief Christopher Ferace had been discussing improving security at the schools for at least three years. Some security measures had already been taken, Sullivan said, such as securing the entries, vestibules, a “robust” camera system and safety bollards (concrete planters). But more could be done.
Ferace and Sullivan happened to run into Mayor Barney Seney at an event, Sullivan said. “We approached him and here we are (at last week’s Meet and Greet of the officers).”
Ferace said “that got the ball rolling.”
In a short six weeks, and with the help of the town officials and the Board of Finance, $280,000 for four armed school security officers was approved by the townspeople. Because it was past budget time, that $280,000 was taken from the ash landfill fund. It will cover one year and Ferace said the next year the cost will likely be funded in the town’s budget.
“We worked together. We built trust,” Sullivan said.
Likewise the four officers will build trust. Sullivan said the four, all former police officers, patrol the halls and exterior and monitor the cameras. They are not there to give out detention slips. They are there to build trust.
The four officers are former police officers who left in good standing. They were hired Aug. 17, went through orientation/training to develop verbal skills to deescalate, plus firearms, medical and the police academy. Ferace said the training took a “good week plus.” It was a smooth transition, Sullivan said, and all were in place when school started.
Ferace said they rotate between walking around school, inside and out, and monitoring the cameras. “They are not standing. They are connecting. Building trust.”
Sullivan said the reaction of teachers, staff and students, parents has been positive. Ferace said there haven’t been any incidents.
The officers are:
High School: David Mattioli, retired Ct State Police, 20 years of service (and his dog Ambrie).
Elementary: Julie St. Jean, retired Norwich Police sergeant, 22 years of service.
Middle: Joseph Mattera, retired Glocester police captain, 32 years of service
And middle/floater: Chris Toney, retired Ct State Police, 25 years of service
Police Officer Kyle Mahue is the full-time assigned School Resource Officer (SRO) and Detective Donna Brown is the fill-in/substitute SRO when Maheu is in training or unavailable.
The four school security officers were at a Meet and Greet last week in the Putnam Board of Education meeting room. They all wore blue School Security Officer vests and Sullivan noted that they were all armed (the guns didn’t show).
Mattera said it’s not about the guns, it’s about building trust and relationships. That preempts a crisis. He added his favorite time is lunchtime when he can “connect with the kids.”