Administrators are satisfied with the roll out of the district’s new security program, Superintendent Bob Hardis said in a recent interview.

The plan, which puts a police officer in the halls of every school in the district, is done in partnership with the Beachwood Police Department.

“The main purpose … is to protect the students and staff in the buildings from any external threat that could emerge,” Hardis said.

He noted there was no particular threat that prompted the district to take action.

“This was … something that we had been considering for more than a year,” Hardis said.

The team consists of nine officers, eight of whom work part-time, along with Officer C.J. Piro, who works full-time.

The officers are employed by the city, though Hardis said the district will pay the department approximately $370,000 annually for its services.

Piro, an 18-year Beachwood Police Dept. veteran, holds the newly-created position of District Director of Security. He is primarily stationed at BHS, but often roams between the district’s five schools.

The shift from the streets to the schools is relatively substantial, Piro noted.

“I miss it a little bit, but not that much,” he said of his old beat, which included city-wide patrols, traffic enforcement and traffic crash reconstruction.

“I really enjoy my new position here with the schools.”

Piro will follow a work schedule similar to district teachers. He is on site for the arrival of students in the morning, and stays on campus until the conclusion of the school day.

Under Piro’s watch, some changes are already in the works.

For instance, administrators will likely replace the dated paper-and-pen visitor sign-in method with a more thorough electronic system. Piro said they are also considering additional security cameras in the BHS parking lot.

Piro’s official responsibilities include overseeing the part-time officers and patrolling district grounds. However, he said he also hopes to help reduce the nationwide animosity between officers and the citizens whom they serve.

“ … [I want to] show all the ways, from preschoolers to the adults here in the high school, that cops are okay people,” Piro said.

Students and staff have responded well to the presence of the officers.

“I love having them here,” social studies teacher Melissa Buddenhagen said. “It never hurts to have someone who is trained to deal with crisis situations.”

“They’re actually really nice, if you stop to talk to them,” senior Alexis Rudd said of the officers.

Rudd commented that the officers bring an additional level of security that she felt BHS had been lacking.

Come summer break, Piro said he will use most of his vacation time. However, he said he will also spend time offering protection at summer camp programs within the district, as well as conducting additional security assessments of district facilities.

Piro explained that he hopes to connect more with students, adding that he has set goals for himself. “I would like to, by Thanksgiving break, know 25 percent of the kids’ names,” he said of BHS students.

By winter break, Piro said he hopes to be able to identify half of the student body.

Hardis said he wants students and their families to develop a bond with the officers. Such a relationship, he explained, would be beneficial for the community as a whole.

“They have a really serious purpose in being here, but most of their interactions are positive ones,” he said.

“We love what we’re doing,” Piro said. “We’re not here to be macho cowboys. We’re here to help out.”