Norwich City Schools welcomes NPD Officer Mooney as new resource officer
City of Norwich Police Officer Nicholas Mooney and Police Chief Reuben Roach agree that Mooney's new role as the Norwich City School District School Resource Officer (SRO), will benefit students and staff, by providing safety and supporting the school in its mission to create a positive learning environment. (Submitted Photo)
NORWICH — The Norwich City School District (NCSD) recently appointed Norwich Police Officer Nicholas Mooney, as the new School Resource Officer (SRO).
“The Norwich Police Department (NPD) and the NCSD collaborated to create this position approximately two years ago, and it has been a monumental success,” said Chief of Police Reuben Roach.
“SRO Clarke retired from NCSD this year, and has done a phenomenal job with this position, which led to an extension of the contract between the City of Norwich and NCSD,” he said.
“Officer Mooney volunteered to be interviewed by both NCSD staff, as well as the NPD staff,” said Roach.
He said Mooney’s objective is to build rapport with the students, provide safety for the NCSD staff and students, and to help the school in its mission to create a positive learning environment for all.
Roach said SRO’s wear many different hats, and he said it is wonderful that NCSD and NPD were able to collaborate and make this position happen.
He explained Officer Mooney attended many advanced trainings involving children and active listening and said he is a part of the New York State Juvenile School Resource Officer Association and receives annual training with them.
According to Roach, Officer Mooney attended NCSD and went on to graduate from Nazareth College with a bachelor’s degree in the arts.
“Additionally, Officer Mooney was the Aquatics Director for the YMCA prior to becoming a police officer,” said Roach.
Mooney said, “As a graduate of Norwich, I’m looking forward to facilitating positive interactions with the students, while providing safety for everyone.”
NCSD Superintendent Scott Ryan said, “The NCSD invests in what we value; which is people, program, and facility.”
“Norwich City School District has a true division of roles and responsibility associated with safety and security,” said Ryan. “The SRO is a key member of that team.”
Ryan said Mooney’s main role is to build relationships with students, staff and community in an effort to foster a safe school environment and said he will have ample opportunity to engage in classroom activity and discussion as he becomes acclimated to the schools.
“The city engaged in a collaborative study involving members of the community and one of the resulting recommendations from that was to explore this program as an option, hence the partnership between the school and the City of Norwich,” said Ryan.
“Through a grant, the school simultaneously invested nearly $2 million on high tech surveillance and security,” he said. “The School Resource Officer and the School Safety Officer positions were born from this investment.”
Ryan said the district will allocate funding on an annual basis to support full payment of the SRO to the City of Norwich.
President and Co-Founder of Improve Norwich Now (INN) and Lead Pastor of CVFREE Church Jen Westervelt said, “It’s an honor to speak to the value of giving students positive interactions with law enforcement.”
“The potential benefits of having a School Resource Officer at NCSD are many, and seeing the collaboration come to fruition has been a major win,” said Westervelt.
She said direct positive contact through building rapport and offering insights and experiences as a guest speaker in classrooms, allows students to connect with a Police Officer in a non-threatening, supportive manner.
“This is so vital, especially for students who are at-risk or have witnessed negative interactions outside of school through family member or friend connections,” she added.
“Barriers are broken down as students and the School Resource Officer are able to relate to one another under positive conditions, and this can lead to an indirect benefit of preventing and deterring crime from happening at our schools and community,” she said.
“When students and law enforcement have a positive rapport, potentially volatile situations can be de-escalated much more easily, or even avoided altogether,” Westervelt said. “This is exactly the type of groundwork that has long-lasting effects for the betterment of our schools, students' personal lives, and our community as a whole.
“The Norwich Police Department (NPD) and the NCSD collaborated to create this position approximately two years ago, and it has been a monumental success,” said Chief of Police Reuben Roach.
“SRO Clarke retired from NCSD this year, and has done a phenomenal job with this position, which led to an extension of the contract between the City of Norwich and NCSD,” he said.
“Officer Mooney volunteered to be interviewed by both NCSD staff, as well as the NPD staff,” said Roach.
He said Mooney’s objective is to build rapport with the students, provide safety for the NCSD staff and students, and to help the school in its mission to create a positive learning environment for all.
Roach said SRO’s wear many different hats, and he said it is wonderful that NCSD and NPD were able to collaborate and make this position happen.
He explained Officer Mooney attended many advanced trainings involving children and active listening and said he is a part of the New York State Juvenile School Resource Officer Association and receives annual training with them.
According to Roach, Officer Mooney attended NCSD and went on to graduate from Nazareth College with a bachelor’s degree in the arts.
“Additionally, Officer Mooney was the Aquatics Director for the YMCA prior to becoming a police officer,” said Roach.
Mooney said, “As a graduate of Norwich, I’m looking forward to facilitating positive interactions with the students, while providing safety for everyone.”
NCSD Superintendent Scott Ryan said, “The NCSD invests in what we value; which is people, program, and facility.”
“Norwich City School District has a true division of roles and responsibility associated with safety and security,” said Ryan. “The SRO is a key member of that team.”
Ryan said Mooney’s main role is to build relationships with students, staff and community in an effort to foster a safe school environment and said he will have ample opportunity to engage in classroom activity and discussion as he becomes acclimated to the schools.
“The city engaged in a collaborative study involving members of the community and one of the resulting recommendations from that was to explore this program as an option, hence the partnership between the school and the City of Norwich,” said Ryan.
“Through a grant, the school simultaneously invested nearly $2 million on high tech surveillance and security,” he said. “The School Resource Officer and the School Safety Officer positions were born from this investment.”
Ryan said the district will allocate funding on an annual basis to support full payment of the SRO to the City of Norwich.
President and Co-Founder of Improve Norwich Now (INN) and Lead Pastor of CVFREE Church Jen Westervelt said, “It’s an honor to speak to the value of giving students positive interactions with law enforcement.”
“The potential benefits of having a School Resource Officer at NCSD are many, and seeing the collaboration come to fruition has been a major win,” said Westervelt.
She said direct positive contact through building rapport and offering insights and experiences as a guest speaker in classrooms, allows students to connect with a Police Officer in a non-threatening, supportive manner.
“This is so vital, especially for students who are at-risk or have witnessed negative interactions outside of school through family member or friend connections,” she added.
“Barriers are broken down as students and the School Resource Officer are able to relate to one another under positive conditions, and this can lead to an indirect benefit of preventing and deterring crime from happening at our schools and community,” she said.
“When students and law enforcement have a positive rapport, potentially volatile situations can be de-escalated much more easily, or even avoided altogether,” Westervelt said. “This is exactly the type of groundwork that has long-lasting effects for the betterment of our schools, students' personal lives, and our community as a whole.
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