Dover welcomes new school resource officer, promotes police captain
DOVER – It won’t take many students and teachers very long to get know the school district’s new resource office.
It’s Tony Pellegrino. He has kids in the district, his wife is a Dover teacher, he does the announcing for the high school softball team and he has frequently filled in as a school crossing guard.
Pellegrino joined the Dover Police Department in 2022 and was appointed as the new school resource officer in late March.
“It’s a great way to serve the community,” he said. “I know a lot of the kids from my daughter and son being in the school district, but it’s a great way to get to know the other kids in the district. It’s another way to show the kids in the community that we’re there for them, not only in a law enforcement capacity, but also there as another helping hand, someone they can trust if they’re having issues.”
Pellegrino is replacing Josh Roach, who was promoted to captain. He had been the resource officer since 2022 when the city and school district started this partnership.
“I feel like the program is in a good place,” Roach said. “We’ve had a lot of buy-in from the district over the last 2 1/2 years. I definitely think Officer Pellegrino is the right guy to continue that program and bring his new ideas to the program. I definitely think we’ll see it continue to grow.”
Roach was sworn in as captain about a month after Jimmy Hitchcock retired following 27 years with the department.
“Capt. Hitchcock served us well,” Roach said. “I learned a ton from him personally. I know a lot of us did. He served the community for a long time, and we’re better for it. I know I am.”