The Police Benevolent Association says using police officers as crossing guards at schools will put the lives of thousands of residents in Nassau County at risk.

Foowa Li, a Baldwin resident, says she feels safer with police officers helping his son cross Grand Avenue in Baldwin to get to and from school. But the PBA says stationing officers at crossings is keeping them from doing their real job. It says the number of officers posted at crosswalks has increased dramatically over the past year as the number of full-time crossing guards has decreased in Nassau County.

The president of the PBA and the president of the CSEA say multiple emergencies have happened where the closest officer was stuck working a crosswalk, and officers from further precincts had to respond.

The PBA says since the start of the school year in September, there have been thousands of instances where police officers have been stationed at crosswalks.

Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder says the county is short about 50 crossing guards, and it's difficult to find people to take the part-time job. He says the county is working on hiring more.

Li says he feels confident the county has enough police officers.

Nassau police say if an officer is assigned to a crossing, they can't leave until the end of that assignment.