Natick hires veteran FBI agent to audit school security. Here's what it means

NATICK — How can Natick Public Schools improve school safety? The FBI is on the case.

Rather, 23-year FBI veteran Jim Caimano is.

Caimano, who has been a special agent in the bureau’s Boston office since 2018, will join the school district as its first director of safety and security, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Anna Nolin and Chief of Police James Hicks announced last Friday.

In his new role, Caimano will focus on school security, coordinate emergency management planning and serve as a connection between NPS, the Police Department, and the town’s Facilities Department and technology services, according to a district press release.

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“Jim’s expertise provides NPS and the Town of Natick with a wealth of knowledge to benefit our collective safety and security needs,” Nolin said in a statement. “We look forward to Jim contributing to a safe, secure, disruptive-free learning environment for all who work at, attend or visit NPS and our town buildings.”

Caimano will in part be auditing Natick’s schools; the express purpose of the new role is to assess school buildings and processes and create a plan for strengthening security over time, Nolin explained in a follow-up email to the Daily News.

The two-year position is federally funded via a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), which is geared toward community policing and includes school violence prevention among its focuses.

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The COPS grant was a joint effort by NPS and the Police Department, according to Nolin.

The district looked to contract with a consultant to review video, lock, shooter systems, indoor and outdoor barriers and traffic flow, and other emergency procedures and building features, and the estimated cost was $200,000 per building, according to Nolin.

“Having someone on staff in this grant-funded position to do this work relieves the town of a financial burden and gains safety at all of our town buildings,” she said.

While Natick’s director of safety and security position is new, the concept is not; neighboring Framingham Public Schools has had Director of Safety and Security Scott Penrod in place since 2018.

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In his work with the FBI, Caimano has conducted criminal investigations involving public corruption, cybersecurity threats, international fraud and white collar crime, and has also managed domestic and international terrorism investigations, according to the NPS press release. He managed the investigation into the 2011 mass shooting involving then-Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Asked whether Caimano would bring his cybersecurity experience to Natick by working to prevent hacks or online attacks at NPS, Nolin said cybersecurity is “a critical component of any safety, security and emergency management planning, but is only one facet of his work with us.”

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When it comes to the long-term plans for the role, Nolin said NPS is open to grant funding for any and all positions deemed necessary to support strategic priorities, though she noted that grant funding may not be available in future budget cycles.

“Should that be the case in the future, the NPS School Committee and district administration may have to make choices about what trade-offs can be made to address all of our needs within the operating budget,” Nolin said.

Abby Patkin is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. Follow Abby on Twitter @AMPatkin. She can be reached at apatkin@wickedlocal.com.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Natick Public Schools hire first director of safety and security