Atlantic City police officers will begin patrolling the city's schools Tuesday.
A partnership between city government and the Board of Education will assign one police officer to each of the kindergarten through eighth-grade schools, with two officers assigned to the High School.
Mayor Marty Small first talked of the plan in November, when announcing a $3.75 million from the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, Hiring Grant.
The money was earmarked for the hiring of 30 officers, with a plan to put 10 in the schools: one each in the eight K-8 schools and two in the high school.
“Public safety is a top priority of my administration, and we are constantly looking for ways to make improvements,” said in announcing the grant.
He laid out the plan during his State of the City in February, having his wife — Superintendent of Schools Dr. La'Quetta Small — stand as he previewed the partnership.
Mayor Marty Small laid out the plan at his State of the City in February.In March, 30 officers were sworn in under the grant.
On the eve of the first officers coming onto their school assignments, Small took to social media to herald how he and his wife "are out here really making HISTORY."
The same officer will be in each school all 180 days of the school year, he explained.
"We rather have options and not need them, than need option and not have them," he said. "We can't take the approach of school shootings can not happen in Atlantic City, so we will be prepared by having our officers on the front line and, more importantly, creating positive relationships with the students and staff."
