Marlboro approves another SRO

By Mark Reynolds
Posted 3/8/23

After 22 years with the Marlborough Police Department, Sgt. Justin Pascale will now be serving as a Student Resource Officer [SRO] for the Marlboro School District.

Last week the Marlborough Town …

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Marlboro approves another SRO

Posted

After 22 years with the Marlborough Police Department, Sgt. Justin Pascale will now be serving as a Student Resource Officer [SRO] for the Marlboro School District.

Last week the Marlborough Town Board made it official, approving a resolution that stated his retirement as a full time police officer as of February 28 and reappointing him as a part time SRO officer, effective March 2, 2023.

In a phone interview, Pascale said a fourth SRO position was created, “so I will be going between all of the schools.” Presently, each of the three schools has one armed SRO officer assigned and Pascale will be the ‘floater.’ He will serve from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Pascale decided on the new assignment, “because I wanted a change of pace. There was the opportunity that was coming up with the schools and I figured it would be a great time to retire now and have a steady schedule, more or less, which is nice.”

Pascale said for the past four years he has been involved with the school’s Safety Committee, “so this was a good opportunity to get involved with the schools.”

Previously, Pascale was a Patrol Supervisor where, “in addition to answering calls for service, I also supervised the part-time and full-time police officers schedules and arrest and complaint reports.”

Pascale said his shifts rotated every two weeks between the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the 3 to 11 p.m. time slot. He recalled that early in his career he rotated all three shifts, each at two-week intervals.

With his new assignment, Pascale will spend time at each of the three school campuses, every day of the week.

“My primary focus will be on the exterior of the schools, so when the kids are at recess at the elementary school, I will be there showing a presence outside,” he said. “I try to be everywhere as most as I can.”

Pascale has three kids in the Marlboro School district, and he also coaches three baseball teams.

“It’s nice because a lot of the kids recognize me and it bridges a gap between the police and the community, especially with the kids because you want them to grow up knowing that the cops are good,” he said.

Pascale said the Marlboro School District, “is blessed to have a Town Board and a School Board that are pro-SRO because unfortunately there are some school districts that don’t have any SROs,” he said. “I would venture to say that we’re probably one of the local municipalities that have the model that we’re using, a SRO in every school and me being the floater, not only for the outside but also as a backup for any of the other SRO officers.”

Pascale said there is a shared service agreement between the school district and the town that funds the salaries of the SRO officers. He described this change in his professional life as “terrific,” adding that he will also be continuing his role as the PBA President for the department.