After learning that government cutbacks had caused school resource officers around the province to lose their work phones and pagers, Brockton’s Police Services Board agreed to foot the bill for a cell phone for Walkerton’s school resource officer.
At the PSB meeting last Wednesday, South Bruce OPP Sgt. LeBlanc explained that many school officers were losing their phones and pagers because the majority of them have only one school to cover.
Unlike most school officers however, Walkerton’s in-house school officer, Cst. Chris Cossitt, is active at several Brockton schools, including both high schools.
When Cossitt had his pager, the schools became accustomed to being able to get in contact with him “at fairly short notice,” PSB chair Charlie Reidl said.
Since he lost access to the pager, the schools have expressed some concern about their ability to get in touch with him.
“Right now, he has nothing,” LeBlanc said, “The schools are calling saying, ‘I need him now, where is he?’ If there’s an absolute bad emergency we’ll send someone else, but they like Chris’ accessibility.”
Three options that would put Cossitt back in close contact with the schools were considered, including a more expensive option that offered email availability.
But the PSB eventually settling on a cell phone with Bell?Mobility. The three-year contract will cost $22 per month and comes with unlimited incoming local calls.
“The cell phone is better value for the dollar spent,” he said. “With the cell he’ll still have to go to the office for reports and emails but he’ll be in constant touch with the schools,” said Reidl.