Trinity school police chief retires
Chief Richard Horner, a popular presence at Trinity High School for the past five years, will retire from the district police department on March 22.
Trinity School Board unanimously accepted Horner’s resignation, with regret, at Thursday’s school board meeting.
Horner, a retired North Franklin Township police chief, has served as a school police officer at Trinity since 2014 and was instrumental in implementing a range of safety measures to safeguard the district’s schools.
“I’d like to thank the school district for their support over the past five years,” said Horner. “It was a unique experience, it was eye-opening. Working at the high school and in the school district was a learning experience. It’s a totally different thing than regular policing. You try to create relationships with the students every day. You’ve got to make relationships.”
Horner implemented ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate) drills and led the district’s seven-member police department, which provides on-site officers at all of the district’s schools.
He also welcomed a K-9 unit, Hiller, a Belgian malinois, to the force in 2018.
Dr. Michael Lucas, superintendent, said Horner’s efforts kept students and staff safe.
Horner said he hadn’t planned to stay at Trinity for as long as he did, but he enjoyed working with the staff and students.
He credited the school district with being proactive and innovative about school safety.
Horner said he will miss the students.
“There have been some kids who have been real memorable,” said Horner. “They come to you and open up to you, and they share their lives.”