Pinellas Park's 25 school crossing guards will be required to have cell phones.
By ANNE LINDBERG
Published December 3, 2003
PINELLAS PARK - The city's crossing guards will be required to carry cell phones in case something happens while they're on duty.
The order came last month from Pinellas Park City Manager Mike Gustafson.
One of the city's police officers, Charles Prichard, came in and offered to donate a used cell phone. During the conversation, Gustafson realized crossing guards did not have to carry a phone and had no quick way of communicating in case of emergency.
"A crossing guard did not have to have a phone to call in. . . . If someone said, "I don't want to carry a cell phone,' they didn't have to," Gustafson said. "I was glad Charlie Prichard brought it to my attention."
Gustafson said he vaguely remembered an event in which a guard needed to summon help. But he did not have details and no other city officials could remember such an incident.
Providing phones for the city's 25 crossing guards costs taxpayers nothing, city spokesman Tim Caddell said.
Folks who have their own phones will be reimbursed by the city for official calls.
Those who do not will be given used phones that people have donated to the city. Those phones are set up so they can call only 911, he said.
It is unclear how many other agencies, if any, have made cell phones a mandatory part of a crossing guard's equipment.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office does not require cell phones, but will provide them if a guard in an isolated area requests one, spokesman Tim Goodman said.
Pinellas Park Mayor Bill Mischler praised the idea, saying he had been following its progress through city memos.
Crossing guards are on the streets twice a day, so they're in a great position to see things that happen, to children or others, he said. "You only need that one time to pay for itself," Mischler said. "It's minimum expense but a lot of value."
