School Resource Officers (SROs)

School Resource Officers (SROs) are sworn law enforcement officers responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools.

Types of roles and responsibilities for SROs

The COPS Office identifies four potential roles of a school resource officer: (1) crime prevention and safety educator; (2) emergency manager, (3) law enforcement problem solver, and (4) informal counselor (e.g., mentor or role model).

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

An agency receiving funding for SROs will be required to submit an MOU to the COPS Office prior to implementing its CHP grant. The MOU is intended to ensure collaboration between the law enforcement agency and the educational community.

City of Charlottesville MOU

• June 11 – A joint statement from Charlottesville City Schools, the Charlottesville City School Board, the Charlottesville Police Department and the City of Charlottesville announced the parties have mutually agreed to discontinue the Memorandum of Understanding that placed school resources officers in city schools. Financially, the MOU included a $300,000 annual transfer from the schools to the police to cover the expenses associated with the SROs assigned to the schools. These funds would be available to support the new model.

New Model

“Our public school system is an institution that mimics the prison-industrial complex rather than a safe space where students are able to unlock the jewels within their minds,” Mayor Nikuyah Walker said. “SRO’s are simply one element that highlights this fact. We must commit to the creation of a paradigm that replaces this current institution that has continuously failed Black children since desegregation.”

“We have heard many different perspectives already on this topic. We’ve received emails from people wanting us to remove police from our schools, and we have talked with students and staff who express appreciation for the SROs they know and trust,” Superintendent Dr. Rosa Atkins said. “Together through conversations with the School Board, staff, students, community, the police, and the city, we will find a new pathway for supporting the needs of our students and staff in the best way possible.”

“Our national search for a new model will reflect these ongoing priorities and values,” said Jennifer McKeever, chair of the Charlottesville School Board. “We must find a way to not only ensure physical safety, but also to promote mental and emotional well-being.”

Albemarle County MOU

• June 12 – Albemarle County School Board issues statement stating they would re-examine the relationship with the Albemarle County Police Department regarding school resource officers in the wake of anti-racist protests

COPS Office, U.S. Department of Justice role

The COPS Office, U.S. Department of Justice is headed by a Director appointed by the Attorney General. The COPS Office role is to support safe schools by providing grant funds, technical assistance, and resources to help deploy school resource officers (SROs). The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) was created through the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to advance the practice of community policing by the nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information, technical assistance, training and grant resources.

"The responsibilities of SROs are similar to regular police officers in that they have the ability to make arrests, respond to calls for service, and document incidents that occur within their jurisdiction. Beyond law enforcement, SROs also serve as educators, emergency managers, and informal counselors. Learn more about School Resource Officers and School-based Policing here. While an SRO's primary responsibility is law enforcement, whenever possible, SROs should strive to employ non-punitive techniques when interacting with students. Arrests should be used only as a last resort under specified circumstances."

History

In his 1994 State of the Union address, President Bill Clinton pledged an additional 100,000 community policing officers to reduce violence and prevent crime in America’s neighborhoods. Later that year, following the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Attorney General Janet Reno established the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPs) within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to turn that promise into action.