Full Notification

Dear Residents,

The safety of your children has always been a top priority of the Washington Township Police Department. In April of 1999, we were witness to the tragic events at Columbine High School in Colorado. In August of 1999 officers of this department received training from expert instructors (from Nebraska) in how to respond to active killer situations. We realized that these incidents happened very quickly and that there was no time to wait for either backup or a Special Weapons Response Team. Patrol officers had to respond immediately to eliminate the threat. Since that time, myself and Deputy Chief Cicerelle after becoming instructors, have trained and continue to assist in training every police officer in Warren County.

We also began working with school administrators , and very early on developed lock down and shelter in place procedures that are now being utilized county wide. One of our main concerns continued to be response time. Historically, active shooter incidents are over within 15 minutes with the first few minutes being critical.

With the cooperation of the School Administrator's and Board's of Education in both Washington Township and Washington Borough, we now have uniformed police officers assigned full time to our Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. Our School Resource Officer's have just completed their second year and the support from parents, teachers, and students has been overwhelming. Incidents at the schools have been significantly reduced and the officers have forged a positive relationship with the students and staff.

I want to thank all of you for your support and feedback and wish you a happy and safe summer.

Sincerely,
Chief McDonald