BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — Ogdensburg agreed to hire two additional police officers in a 5-1 vote Monday May 8.

Voting against the measure was Mayor Jeffrey M. Skelly. Councilor Bill Dillabough was excused from the meeting.

The officers will be paid by the Ogdensburg City School District and would serve as school resources officers.

Superintendent Kevin Kendall recently issued a letter to City Manager Mohideen Buharie regarding the plan which was to put an officer in each of the district's three school buildings.

Ogdensburg Police Chief Mark Kearns spoke to the benefits of the plan, the first being that it would not cost the city any additional funding.

Kearns said it would also provide additional help in the non-school months to allow for better investigations into juvenile crimes and provide much needed relief to the city police force which has been strained in the past years due to reduced staffing.

Kearns also noted that resource officers provide a host of benefits at the district including developing positive relationships with students and another level of security in case of an emergency.

Ogdensburg currently has one school resource officer, but is hoping to put one in each of the district’s three school buildings.

Kendall, who attended the meeting, offered his appreciation to City Council and thanked them for their commitment to ensuring the safety of students.