LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — Saucon Valley School District could have a dedicated police resource officer on the way following recent bomb threats.
But that’ll take some time and discussion with school administration, according to Lower Saucon Police Chief Thomas Barndt.
Township council unanimously agreed Wednesday to have Barndt go before school officials — as he reportedly has before on the same issue, but was turned down — to gather opinions before potentially moving forward.
Barndt said Wednesday that if SVSD was in favor of bringing in an officer, it would “clearly” be his recommendation to hire an additional person to the township ranks to fill that role for its required nine months out of the year.
“With that being said, let’s understand that this doesn’t happen overnight,” Barndt said.
“First of all, we have the hiring problem, as we’re all well aware of.
"Second of all, in order to go in as a school resource officer, you have to be trained as a school resource officer — and it takes a special person to do that.”
'One of the few' districts without an SRO
Barndt said he hoped to return with a report during the first council meeting next month.
If an SRO was brought on, township council’s consensus on the matter would request the school district to pay 75% of the salary while the township would pay 25%.
“A school resource officer would be nothing but a benefit to all of your children that attend the school and the faculty at that school, as well as to the police department to carry on that dialogue and get that connection with the children."Lower Saucon Twp. Police Chief Thomas Barndt
Barndt said he believed Saucon Valley School District was “one of the few” among other districts in the Lehigh Valley without a dedicated SRO.
“A school resource officer would be nothing but a benefit to all of your children that attend the school and the faculty at that school, as well as to the police department to carry on that dialogue and get that connection with the children,” Barndt said.
Three threats, three days: A recap
The chief said the recent threats at the school district totaled three, including one on each day from March 19-21.
“The third one did not close school and was found to be non-credible through some investigative sources,” Barndt said.
“As far as resources, our detective to this day is working on it diligently.”
Officers on night shift reportedly searched the school alongside school staff following the first threat.
Day-shift officers followed through with additional security efforts, Barndt said.
“The third one did not close school and was found to be non-credible through some investigative sources. As far as resources, our detective to this day is working on it diligently.”Lower Saucon Twp. Police Chief Thomas Barndt
A K-9 sweep came after the second threat.
Explosive detection K-9s from Pennsylvania State Police and from departments in Bethlehem, Northampton County and Palmer Township assisted in the searches, according to Barndt.
The third threat was found to be non-credible, and came with extra police presence on campus that Friday while classes were in session.
Barndt said the school day “went off without a hitch,” as officers were on site at student arrival and dismissal times, and other officers patrolled the inside and outside of the campus from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Arrests have been made in response to the threats, and the investigation is still ongoing, the chief said.
Department response in 2024
Department records show that since the first of the year, LSTPD has responded to 46 calls for service at the school district, Barndt said.
That’s 33 during school hours and 13 after school, those of which, for example, could include burglar alarms or weekend sporting events, he explained.
“To me, that’s also time police officers are spending there that we’re not being reimbursed for by the school district, that they’re not out patrolling the township,” Councilman Thomas Carocci said.
“Whereas if we had a dedicated resource officer, then our normal officers could be out doing what they normally do: patrol the township and investigate crime.”
The Lower Saucon Township Police Department has responded to 46 calls for service at the school district, according to Chief Thomas Barndt. That’s 33 during school hours and 13 after school, those of which could include burglar alarms or weekend sporting events.
Earlier in the meeting, Barndt said the township ranks are down one officer.
“If we’re going to reallocate one of our officers that we’ve already hired for our township business, that doesn’t make much sense to me,” Councilwoman Victoria Opthof-Cordaro said.
“ ... If we’re going to do that, it would make more sense to say we’re going to hire somebody on top of the staffing that we thought was appropriate at the time for our township.”
Security specialists on site
The chief said the campus currently has two security specialists on site during any given day to patrol and monitor security cameras.
Council President Priscilla deLeon asked the chief if the school district has ever contacted the department requesting help for its current “officers.”
“We have officers; they’re security guards,” Carocci shot back before Barndt could answer.
“Don’t denigrate our officers by calling those people officers.”
“I have ongoing dialogue with the school, but never to assist their security specialists. We’re always called there for calls of service, whether it’s a medical call, whether it’s to assist them with stuff that I will not discuss further — fights, disturbances, stuff like that.”Lower Saucon Twp. Police Chief Thomas Barndt
“You know what I’m talking about,” deLeon said.
Barndt said, “I have ongoing dialogue with the school, but never to assist their security specialists.”
“We’re always called there for calls of service, whether it’s a medical call, whether it’s to assist them with stuff that I will not discuss further — fights, disturbances, stuff like that.”
