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Jordan J. Lara

Ms. Fender

English IV (3)

14 October 16

What is the role of School Resource Officers and why are they important in

schools ?

Striking statistics indicate that 24 percent of officers reported taking a loaded

firearm from a student or another person on campus, and 87 percent confiscated knives

or other weapons with blades. Sixty-seven percent reported preventing a school faculty

or staff member from being assaulted, either by a student or someone else on

campuseducationworld.com. A School Resource Officer (SRO) is a local law

enforcement officer who is specifically trained to serve and protect the school from any

possible harm. I wanted to learn more about SROs after meeting Officer Micky Ray at

Erwin High School. These officers are on patrol within the school throughout the day.

The duties of these officers vary from school to school and state to state, but all SROs

are trained for the responsibilities of protecting kids, educating schools about laws and

safety, and providing counseling to assist troubled students and preventing arrests

when possible. Without school resource officers, our schools would be unsafe, have

more violence, and less structure. They hold schools together by being a police

presence and counseling students through rough patches on a daily bases.

The training that police officers receive when becoming an SRO is crucial to

help them

develop skills in talking with youth and in knowing how to respond to incidents.
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According to Danna Kranich, School Resource Officers need to be trained in youth

development and psychology (Law Enforcement Technology, September 2005). If

Police Officers are not trained to handle children, they may overreact to childish

behaviors such as temper tantrums, which could lead to suspensions and

arrests.( www.officer.com) Some School Resource Officers have not been properly

trained to deal with unique challenges such as developmental issues, child psychology,

mental health issues, bullying (Law Enforcement Technology, 2005). Officer Ray

(mentor) stated in the interview he had to attend classes at the Justice Academy in

order to become a School Resource Officer. During these classes he studied about

Juvenile Laws, resources in the community such as: Juvenile Justice Department,

Department of Social Services AHOPE (Homeless Shelter), Juvenile Detention Center.

All of these courses help SROs to educate, counsel, and protect schools.

Not only do they need to be trained on how handle difficult or troubled students, they

also have the job to keep the school safe. School safety is an important issue, and

requires control of violence in schools and monitoring possible drug use and/or

possession. Schools have safety plans in place which allow officers to monitor threats

to the schools or to students, perform car checks, practice lockdowns, patrol the

schools inside and outside, and monitor social media. These officers also work

with the Sheriffs Department for gang management.

Officer Ray said in the interview that he is sometimes assigned to do car

checks, looking for possible drugs, weapons or paraphernalia. He is also involved with

practice lockdowns and evacuation drills. When asked about carrying weapons, Officer
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Ray said, No tasers, its standard issue to have a rifle in police cars. Officer Ray says

only use the rifle in serious situations at special events.

According to The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (August 2006), SROs not

only spare patrol officers a difficult assignment, but also improve the agency's

image with juveniles through their firm but sensitive behavior. There have been

many law enforcement administrators reporting that putting SROs in the schools

improve young people's attitude and behavior resulting in decreased crime

reporting. School Resource Officers try to lessen the arrests and talk to students about

their problems to find a solution to prevent the violence. One way SROs help students

is through working with the guidance counselors by talking to students about their

problems and finding a solution. They also can assist in conflict resolution efforts

(School Safety Net.) It is the schools responsibility to have the students feel

supported. Of course there are school counselors and social workers but they cannot

reach every student in need. the School Resource Officers are there to connect with

the students, and help them with their problems and even mental health issues.

Students come in contact with many adults all day, and many wont say they need help,

but they are looking for someone to take interest in them, SROs are trained in this

field. (www.officer.com)

Without SROs in the schools, they suffer. However, funding is always an issue.

Numerous police departments and sheriff's offices have to secure the necessary

funding. The agencies need to make a realistic estimate what the SRO program will

cost. The schools need inexpensive and effective intervention to stop incidents before

they happen. According to Law Enforcement Technology (2005), schools are looking at
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new ways to make school safety cost effective, and law enforcement agencies that

patrol them, can help shut down a problem before it happens. According to The FBI

Law Enforcement Bulletin, August (2006), Many school administrators support school

funding because SROs routinely prevent crime and violence. One school principal

said, He could not count the number of times that the SROs contacted with students

had prevented more serious problems from breaking out on campus. Some

stakeholders think the increase in School Resource Officers will limit the violence in

schools. Results from the article, Helpful Or Harmful: The Role Of School Resource

Officer (Aug 15, 2015) shows that it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of SROs in

schools,condersiding the hundred of millions of federal dollars that have funded school

resource officer programs, there is a surprising lack of comprehensive research on the

Efficacy of SROs for preventing crime in schools( Aug 15,2015) Having School

Resource Officers presence in schools is related with more than a doubling of the rate

of committed assaults without weapons Justice Quarterly (2011) .

SROs are effective because of their relationships with students, teachers, and

administrators. They are deeply needed and useful. Without school resource officers,

our schools would be unsafe, have more violence, and less structure. They hold

schools together by being a police presence and counseling students through rough

patches on a daily bases. They support the school by educating students and staff

about laws, working to ensure a safe environment, and counseling youth to avoid future

violence. Without SROs, school communities would be a greater risk for gang violence,

drugs; and other criminal activity. Please continue to support and fund these thankless

heroes.
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Sources:

1. School safety net

http://schoolsafetynet.pixel-online.org/index.php

2. Law Enforcement Technology, 2005

3.The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (August 2006)

4. Interview Officer Ray, October 18, 2016

5. Interview Officer Sanders

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