The Arnold Police Department has assigned two more police officers to serve as school resource officers at the three Fox C-6 School District campuses in the city.
City Council members voted 6-0 on June 15 to assign Josh Crites and Mike Prusinowski as SROs. Ward 1 Councilman Jason Fulbright and Ward 4 Councilman Butch Cooley were absent from the meeting.
Crites and Prusinowski join Kevin Wilson as SROs for the Fox district’s schools in Arnold, including Rockport Heights Elementary, Sherwood Elementary and the Fox High, Fox Middle and Fox Elementary schools, which are housed together on one campus.
“School resource officers are an incredible resource for our schools,” Superintendent Paul Fregeau said. “It is valuable for students to have positive interactions with law enforcement officers throughout their school day.”
The city of Arnold has the funding needed to provide the additional SROs because voters approved a 1-cent sales tax increase in April to help cover the cost of running the Police Department.
It will cost a total of 233,265.60 to cover the salaries for the three SROs for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. The Fox district will cover $135,000 of the officers’ salaries, and the city of Arnold will play $98,265.60 of the officers’ salaries.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office provides an SRO, Deputy Marc Gibson, to cover the district’s schools outside the city of Arnold.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said Gibson primarily is stationed at the Seckman campus, which has a high school, middle school and elementary school. He said Gibson’s salary is $65,000, and the Fox district pays about $45,000 toward his salary.
Arnold Police Chief Brian Carroll said he’s happy to have two more SROs assigned to the schools in the city.
“The safety of our children must be a priority,” he said. “Unfortunately, times have changed since I was in school in the 1980s. We have seen many tragic events throughout the country in recent times, and we must continue to adapt and change to create the best possible learning environment for our students.
“I have had many conversations with school administrators, and we are both on the same page when it comes to school safety. We both realize the importance of the SRO and how this position can help maintain a positive learning environment that our students deserve. We are very fortunate that our residents passed the law enforcement tax initiative. With this passage, it allows our department to add two additional officers to our staff.”
Carroll said an extensive selection process was completed before choosing the two new SROs to join Wilson, who became an SRO at the start of the 2022-2023 school year.
A panel that included Arnold Police members and Fox administrators interviewed five internal candidates, Carroll said.
“Officer Crites and Officer Prusinowski have extensive police experience, and we are confident both will assist in providing a safe learning environment for our students,” Carroll said. “Both have expressed a desire to work with students and be a role model to them. They understand the importance of developing relationships with our students and their families as well as forming partnerships with school administrators and staff members.”
Fregeau said the school district and Arnold Police Department have a good partnership, and he, too, is glad to get additional SROs.
“Anytime we can get the additional assistance of a school resource officer, it’s good for our students, our schools and our community as a whole,” he said. “We are thankful for the support we receive from our community and our law enforcement partners.”
Carroll said the council’s approval to provide two additional SROs also authorized him to increase the police force by two officers.
He said the department will cover the cost of the additional two salaries because of the recent retirement of two longtime Arnold Police officers.
Carroll said Ernie Howell retired on Oct. 30, 2022, after working for the department since March 14, 2016. Howell, who previously worked for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, was paid an annual salary of $80,246.40.
When Howell retired, Arnold’s police force was reduced to 54 officers, and at that time, the city had implemented a hiring freeze to control budget expenditures, Carroll said.
Then, Capt. Rich Shular retired on June 6, lowering the number of officers to 53. He had been working for the Arnold Police since Dec. 19, 2016. Before that, he had worked for the Police Department from Aug. 30, 1983, to June 17, 2011, when he retired the first time, Carroll said.
When Shular retired, he was earning an annual salary of $77,188.80, Carroll said.
“Officer Howell and Capt. Shular will be missed greatly here at the department,” Carroll said. “Both worked in a variety of positions within the department, and we are proud of their commitment and contributions to not only our department. but also the community.”
Because voters approved the sales tax increase to fund the Arnold Police Department, the city lifted the hiring freeze.
Carroll said Raymond Hussmann has been hired to fill one of the vacant spots in the Police Department.
Hussmann has been a University City Police officer for the past five years, and he will be begin working in Arnold on June 23, Carroll said.
He said Hussmann’s starting salary with the Arnold Police Department will be $57,865.60.
“We have other officers in the hiring process, but Officer Hussmann is the only one who has been hired to date,” Carroll said.
He said once the Police Department fills the vacancies from the officers who are now SROs and from Shular’s retirement, the force will have 57 officers.
“We currently have several officers in the background stage of our hiring process. It is my goal to have the additional officers onboard by mid- to late July.”