First Days Of School For New East Haven School Resource Officers

East Haven CT

02 September, 2021

7:14 PM

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EAST HAVEN, CT — East Haven school have not one but two new resource officers the East Haven Police Department announced. Officer Nicole Burrell is assigned to the East Haven High School and Officer George Gerosa is assigned to Joseph Melillo Middle School. East Haven police Capt. Joseph M. Murgo said that both officers "come with a variety of experience making them a great fit for their positions." Murgo said this is the first time since 2011 that the school district has had SROs in place. He said one of the SRO positions is partially funded by a $125,000 grant that was obtained from the US Department of Justice. Both of the new SROs have attended various specialized training programs to "ensure they implement the most effective strategies in dealing with children in a school environment," Murgo said. East Haven Police Chief Edward Lennon said having the two new SROs will "dramatically increase school safety." "More importantly, the positions will be the liaisons between the police and our youth, in hopes of bridging the gap and increasing youth community engagement," Lennon said. "Both officers were selected due to their excellent interpersonal skills and will be assets for both the police department and for the schools that they serve in." Schools Superintendent Erica Forti said the district was "very excited to welcome the SROs." "The district truly values the collaborative partnership with the mayor and the police department in reestablishing these positions that are critical in keeping our students learning in safe and healthy school environments," she was quoted as saying. "The mentorship and guidance officers Burrell and Gerosa will provide to our students is invaluable." And East Haven Mayor Joseph A. Carfora said he was ""proud to be a part of the revitalization of the SRO program in East Haven." "I believe that positive relationships with the police benefits both the student body and our police department," he said, adding a school resource officer "has a very important responsibility in a school setting because to be effective, they have to build the trust of the students within the school." "I have full confidence in our newly appointed SRO's and look forward to hearing about the positive relationships built as a result of this new program," he said. About Officer Nicole Burrell Burrell has been with the East Haven Police Department since 2013. Prior to becoming a police officer, she was a physical education and health teacher for seven years and still maintains her teacher certification. Officer Burrell enjoys an active lifestyle and played soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics, and competitive cheerleading. Officer Burrell also coached gymnastics and competitive cheerleading. Officer Burrell is currently a Level 1 Crossfit instructor and bootcamp coach. About Officer George Gerosa Gerosa grew up in the area and came to the East Haven Police Department in 2018 as a certified police officer after transferring from another Connecticut police department. He is a certified Field Training Officer who trains newly hired officers after they graduate the police academy. Officer Gerosa is a graduate of the University of New Haven where he played football and holds a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. Prior to being hired as a police officer, Officer Gerosa worked on and around boats and has a passion for all things related to boating and fishing. Murgo took the opportunity to also share some important information for parents" "We also want to remind our residents to expect increased morning traffic due to school bus activity. With that also comes an increase in pedestrian traffic at bus stops and in the area of school zones. Please be patient and allow yourselves extra time in the morning just in case your commute is impacted by increased school traffic. We want to assure our residents that they will see an increase in police presence around school zones to help ease any traffic issues that may arise. "