As the 2024-2025 school year begins,
Gloucester Township is welcoming students in the new year with School Resource Officers (SROs) and LEAD officers who foster a secure and supportive learning environment across the school district.
This year’s team includes five veteran officers:
- Sgt. Bryan Bonawitz: Deputy bureau commander of the Juvenile and Family Services Bureau, Bonawitz oversees the SRO program.
- Lt. Jason Fretz: Bureau commander of the Juvenile and Family Services Bureau, Fretz provides leadership and direction for the SRO team.
- Officer Douglas Pickard
- Officer Erica Marconi
- Officer Jonathan Torres
The job of SROs and LEAD officers are more than just a security presence; they are integral to creating a safe, nurturing and positive educational environment by deterring potential threats; responding to emergencies; providing a reassuring presence for students, staff, and parents; and sometimes handling discipline issues.
Their roles also encompass mentorship and community engagement. Through daily interactions with students, the officers build trust by allowing students to focus on their academic and personal growth. School staff and parents benefit from the officers’ guidance on safety-related matters.
Federal statistics estimate that in the 2015-’16 school year, there were some 52,000 full- or part-time SROs in schools once a week, according to Education Week. The most recent U.S. data available – from the 2017-’18 school year – show that about 45 percent of schools had an SRO in place at least once a week.
Schools across the country first began partnering with law enforcement to assign SROs in the 1950s, and the role gained prominence in the 1990s in response to various school shootings.
