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School Resource Officer Training Program

NCJ Number
187241
Author(s)
Cathy Girouard
Date Published
March 2001
Length
2 pages
Annotation
After describing the role of the school resource officer (SRO), this paper describes Federal efforts to assist in the training of SRO's.
Abstract

Part Q of Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended, defines the SRO as "a career law enforcement officer, with sworn authority, deployed in community-oriented policing, and assigned by the employing police department or agency to work in collaboration with school and community-based organizations." On September 6, 2000, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) would award $68 million in grants to hire 599 SRO's in 289 communities across the Nation. These grants will enable communities to hire new police officers and encourage working relationships between police and schools, thus bringing the principles and philosophy of community policing directly into the school environment. SRO's require training beyond that traditionally offered in police academies. With COPS funding, the Fox Valley Technical College (Appleton, WI) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (Alexandria, VA), in conjunction with the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, are collaborating to implement a Comprehensive School Safety Leadership Initiative. This initiative includes a three-part training program and a technical assistance and support component. The program includes a week-long course that demonstrates standards of excellence and best practices for the enhanced role of SRO's as leaders in planning and maintaining a safe school environment. A technical assistance component, designed to sustain and support SRO program development, is available to eligible teams and course participants who have completed training and have begun to implement SRO programs. 2 resources for further information

Date Published: March 1, 2001