MELBOURNE, Fla. — For many police departments, a school crossing guard shortage has them actively recruiting.

Right now the Melbourne Police Department needs to fill 11 positions out of a possible 24.

Sergeant Ben Slover, who oversees the school crossing guard program, says the part-time job offers a lot of flexibility.

“They can make a little extra money, engage with the community, have an impact and just get to know the kids,” he said.

Janene Romero, one of the 13 school crossing guards currently working in Melbourne, can attest to the flexibility.

“I have time for yoga three times a week,” she said.

For the past eight years, she’s covered crosswalks across the city.

The Florida Department of Transit also named her the winner of the 2020 Extra Mile award as Florida School Crossing Guard of the Year.

 When she and her family moved here, she wanted to get a part-time job.

“I found this job on the city’s website, and I said, this works for me, I like this,” she said.

She works one hour of work in the morning, 45 minutes in the afternoon and says it’s the perfect schedule for her.

There are other perks to the job. It’s the people, the children, she’s there to protect that make it worth her time.

“They’re so sweet. I can’t wait until they get back to school. They will tell me all about their summer too. We have a great group of kids here,” she said.

Romero says the job is more than just working the crosswalks.

“You’re a face, you’re an ambassador of your community, and they will really appreciate what you do,” she said.

We checked with other nearby police departments about their need for school crossing guards.

Cocoa, Palm Bay and Titusville are fully staffed.