Broward County to Add 12 Officers to Patrol Elementary Schools in Six Cities

The municipalities would hire the officers and see how to divy them up throughout the schools.

In an effort to increase security at schools, 12 officers will patrol elementary schools in six Broward County cities by year's end.

Broward middle and high schools already have at least one officer patrolling.

The school district will pay $555,000 for the newl officers, and the schools police will pay any additional funds for benefits and other costs. But the municipalities would hire the officers and decide how to divy them up throughout the schools.

The officers will patrol schools in Hollywood, Coconut Creek, Lauderhill, Pembroke Pines, Wilton Manors and Davie.

Golt said he wants to add more school resource officers each year. Pembroke Pines has already hired all five of the officers that it is getting.

The officers will also be tasked with helping to stop drug use and crime within the schools by creating bonds with the student body.

Golt also said that keeping schools and students safe is also because of a "team approach" between students, parents, police and the sheriff's office.

Coconut Creek and Hollywood will use retired officers, the South Florida Sun Sentinel said.

The Broward school system is the sixth largest in the nation, and it has 145 officers in schools.

Officials looked at security after the Newtown Massacre.

"I think nationwide, after Newtown, everybody re-examined what they do," Golt said. "I think if it didn't play a role then that in itself would be a problem. You have to re-evaluate what you are doing."

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