Bergen County Creates School Safety Task Force

Bergen County authorities have formed a task force that will focus on school security assessments.

County Prosecutor John Molinelli announced the group's formation Monday, citing the numerous requests his office has received from school districts following the Newtown, Conn. School shootings.

In January, Molinelli told superintendents that his office would perform the security assessments for free. He says they now have 166 scheduled in the coming months.

Molinelli says the School Security Assessment Task Force will bring together officers from local police departments, school officials and the prosecutor's office risk mitigation planner. They will come up with recommendations on a case-by-case basis.

Recommendations for schools can range from infrastructure changes, like investing in swipe-card entry systems and security cameras, to simple changes in protocol.

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