School Resource Officers

Prior to the 1950s, the concept of a School Resource Officer (SRO) was not widely known. Most educational interaction between schools and local law enforcement was done on an informal basis and by request.

The School Resource Officer is a nationally accepted program involving the placement of a law enforcement officer in an educational environment such as a school. This allows the SRO(s) to directly interact with the students and school administrators in a proactive approach rather than responding to the school when a crime or an emergency has occurred. 

Roles of the School Resource Officer

The Duties of the School Resource Officer include:

• Providing law enforcement services to the school with an emphasis on providing a safe environment for students, faculty, and the community.
• Achieving and maintaining a working partnership with school administration. Assisting the school in planning, preparing, and responding to emergency and crisis situations. Being visible and accessible within the school during school hours and extracurricular activities.
• Initiate interaction with students to promote being a positive role model, increase safety, deter criminal actions, and promote law-related education. This everyday interaction helps students deal with issues such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, peer pressure, and gang activity.
• SROs are frequently asked to assist with other issues such as suicide intervention, drugs, gangs, family crisis situations, and school-related matters to name a few. In many cases, the SRO is more than just a cop in a school. They become friends with the students, faculty, and parents. They are asked many times to help in situations that typically would be considered outside the realm of police work.