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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOPCAB 2017-06-08 Minuteso TukwilaLILY of Allan Ekberg, Mayor Police Department - Mike Villa, Chief June 8, 2017 6:30pm-8:00pm Members Present: Jerry Thornton, Kim Karns, John Lindsay, Jan Bolerjack Staff Present: Chris Partman, School Resource Officer Adam Balcom, Sgt. Kraig Boyd, Chief Villa Guest: • Minutes for 2/9/17 and 5/11/17 meeting approved • Tukwila Police School Resource Officer Program • See attachments # 1 and 2 • Chief's update Staffing — • Det. Heckelsmiller retired at the end of May. • 5 people in background currently. • 1 person ready to go to the academy • It is likely that 2-3 more officers will retire in the next year • Body cameras — department has been doing a pilot on the cameras • 5 officers wearing the cameras now • After approval by the City Council, the hope is to deploy them on all the uniformed officers • The equipment would include the in -car cameras and body cameras • Agencies using body cameras have had decreases in attacks on officers, use of force, and complaints on officers • Policy is already in place and agreed to by the TPD officers' union • Only big concern is public records requests, however the new system will be cloud -based and easier to provide footage when requested • System will activate when an officer turns on lights/sirens • Will not film in hospitals or doctor offices, even if an officer accidentally films, that footage is not subject to public disclosure • Officers do disclose to people when filming when possible • Review of footage will be helpful for officers when writing reports Tukwila City Hall • 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, WA 98188 • 206-433-1800 • Website: Tukwila WA.gov Title or Addressee Date Page 2 • Good of the Order • Jan — cemetery has quieted down, but people are gathering in her parking lot • John — self-awareness for seniors type class, Chris will reach out to Community Center Senior Program to provide this. • Jerry — glad to see so much positive information coming from Tukwila. Examples of recent bad public behavior at scene of a collision coverage and Apollo. He has been collecting a series of positive crime statistics for the Tukwila area. • Kim — what is police policy for off-duty officers working for security firms? A TPD officer has to have permission from the Chief for any outside work. Officers who work at private businesses in Tukwila usually are working through the Guild and those jobs are approved by the Chief. • Chris — PD will be at Touch a Truck this year, July 29. Night Out Against Crime is August 1St Meeting adjourned at 7:48 pm Next meeting will be on Thursday, 7/13/17 from 6:30pm-8:OOpm. Please contact Chris Partman at Chris.Partman a,tukwilawa.gov or call 206-271-6069 if you're unable to attend. Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov President Obama's Task Force on 215' Century Policing, Final Report 2015 How It Pertains to School Resource Officers: Pillar 1: Building Trust & Legitimacy 1.5.3 Action Item: "Law enforcement agencies should create opportunities in schools and communities for positive non -enforcement interactions with police." (pg. 15) Pillar 4: Community Policing & Crime Reduction • "Two key elements of community policing, are vital to protecting residents of these communities from the crime that plagues them. Community policing combines a focus on intervention and prevention through problem solving with building collaborative partnerships between law enforcement agencies and schools, social services, and other stakeholders. In this way, community policing not only improves public safety but also enhances social connectivity and economic strength, which increases community resilience to crime." (pg. 41) • "Community policing is not just about the relationship between individual officers and individual neighborhood residents. It is also about the relationship between law enforcement leaders and leaders of key institutions in a community, such as churches, businesses, and schools, supporting the community's own process to define prevention and reach goals. Law enforcement agencies cannot ensure the safety of communities alone but should seek to contribute to the strengthening of neighborhood capacity to prevent and reduce crime through informal social control." (pg. 43) • 4.6 Recommendation: "Communities should adopt policies and programs that address the needs of children and youth most at risk for crime or violence and reduce aggressive law enforcement tactics that stigmatize youth and marginalize their participation in schools and communities." • 4.6.2 Action Item: "In order to keep youth in school and to keep them from criminal and violent behavior, law enforcement agencies should work with schools to encourage the creation of alternatives to student suspensions and expulsion through restorative justice, diversion, counseling, and family interventions." • 4.6.3 Action Item: "Law enforcement agencies should work with schools to encourage the use of alternative strategies that involve youth in decision making, such as restorative justice, youth courts, and peer interventions. The Federal Government could incentivize schools to adopt this practice by tying federal funding to schools implementing restorative justice practices." • 4.6.4 Action Item: "Law enforcement agencies should work with schools to adopt an instructional approach to discipline that uses interventions or disciplinary consequences to help students develop new behavior skills and positive strategies to avoid conflict, redirect energy, and refocus on learning." • 4.6.5 Action Item: "Law enforcement agencies should work with schools to develop and monitor school discipline policies with input and collaboration from school personnel, students, families, and community members. These policies should prohibit the use of corporal punishment and electronic control devices." 4.6.6 Action Item: "Law enforcement agencies should work with schools to create a continuum of developmentally appropriate and proportional consequences for addressing ongoing and escalating student misbehavior after all appropriate interventions have been attempted." 4.6.7 Action Item: "Law enforcement agencies should work with communities to play a role in programs and procedures to reintegrate juveniles back into their communities as they leave the juvenile justice system. Although this recommendation—and therefore its action items— specifically focuses on juveniles, this task force believes that law enforcement agencies should also work with communities to play a role in re-entry programs for adults leaving prisons and jails." 4.6.8 Action Item: "Law enforcement agencies and schools should establish memoranda of agreement for the placement of School Resource Officers that limit police involvement in student discipline. Such agreements could include provisions for special training for School Resource Officers to help them better understand and deal with issues involving youth." (pg. 47- 48) "Youth face unique challenges when encountering the criminal justice system. Law enforcement contacts for apparent infractions create trauma and fear in children and disillusionment in youth, but proactive and positive youth interactions with police create the opportunity for coaching, mentoring, and diversion into constructive alternative activities. Moving testimony from a panel of young people allowed the task force members to hear how officers can lead youth out of the conditions that keep them in the juvenile justice system and into self- awareness and self-help. o Phoenix native Jose Gonzales, 21, first went to jail at age nine and had a chaotic childhood, but in turning his life towards a productive and healthy future, he vividly remembers one officer who made a difference: ■ 'Needless to say, I have had a fair amount of interaction with law enforcement in my youth. Some has been very positive. Like the time that a School Resource Officer got me involved in an after school club. Officer Bill D. helped me stop being a bad kid and assisted with after school activities. He sought me out to be a part of a club that included all sorts of youth—athletes, academics—and helped me gain confidence in reaching out to other social circles beyond my troubled community. The important idea I'd like to convey is that approach is everything.' " (pg. 49) School Resource Officer In-forrnation QP ,V,F4._)4"GNASR0 National Association School Rcsourcc Oflcc rs • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law School Resource Officer ]nformation enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 — The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. School Resource Officer In -formation • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017) School Resouirce Officer Information TtlKwll,q POLICE THEw6rV54idcrtnxhoo! 6oscdpolklny • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law School Resource Officer Inforrriation enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 — The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. • NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. Schooi Resource Officer Information • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017) School Resource Officer Information TV ILq POLICE" �r►awo ko�*hwe apou��y' • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law Schooi Resource Officer Information enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 —The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. School Resource Officer information • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017) c ooi Resource Officer Inforynat n, 14 NASRO National Association of School Rcsourcc O(}iccrs • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law School Resource Officer Inforrnatio a enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 — The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. • NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. School ReSOUrce Officer Infos ation • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017) School Resource Officer Information `r NASRO School National Asssou ct1[t0I1 cc School Rcsourcc Ufliccrs • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law School Resource Officer nforr a"Clio enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 — The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. • NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. School Resource Officer Information • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017) Schooil Resource Officer Information V IV National Association of School Rcsoorcc Of6ccrs • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law School Resource Officer I Torr aflon enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 — The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. • NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. ch o,l Resource Officer lriforrnat on • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017) School Resource Officer Information US GNASRO National Association of School Rcsourcc Officcrs • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law School Resource Off ker Informat o enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 — The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. School ReSOUrce Officer Inform, atio • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017) School Resource Officer Information TUKWIIq II► POLICE ,Y • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law School Resource Officer Information enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 — The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. • NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. School Resource Officer Information • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017) School Resource Officer Information �UKWi, POLICE • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law School Resource Officer Information, enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 —The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. School ResoLirce Officer Information • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017) School Resource Officer Information }i t National Associationof School Rcsourcc Cifliccccrs • What is a school resource officer? A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority, who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community -oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. What are appropriate roles of school resource officers? The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation's schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a "triad concept" to define the three main roles of school resource officers: o educator (i.e. guest lecturer), o informal counselor/mentor, and o law enforcement officer. How many school resource officers are there in the United States? Nobody knows how many SROs there are in the U.S., because SROs are not required to register with any national database, nor are police departments required to report how many of their officers work as SROs, nor are school systems required to report how many SROs they use. A 2007 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that there were more than 17,000 SROs deployed in public schools nationwide, but the DOJ has not repeated that survey since. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) estimates that between 14,000 and 20,000 SROs are in service nationwide, based on DOJ data and the number of SROs that NASRO has trained. A similar, but slightly different question is, "How many schools use SROs?" The most recent available data on that comes from a 2015 report by the National Center for Education Statistics (a part of the U.S. Department of Education). It surveyed public schools in the spring of 2014. The Center reported that 30 percent of U.S. public schools who participated in the survey indicated that they had at least one full-time or part- time school resource officer during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were approximately 98,500 public schools in the U.S. that year, which means that approximately 29,550 schools had at least one school resource officer. Many SROs serve more than one school and some schools have more than one officer. One therefore cannot reliably extrapolate the number of SROs from the percentage of schools in the 2014 survey. How do I become a school resource officer? The first step in becoming a school resource officer is to become a sworn, career law enforcement officer. Typically, one becomes a law enforcement officer by applying to a law enforcement agency for employment and then completing the training that agency requires of its recruits. NASRO recommends that law enforcement officers receive a certain amount of street experience and complete specialized SRO training before being assigned to SRO positions. Not all law School Resource Officer Information enforcement officers are well suited for the roles of SROs, so NASRO recommends that law enforcement agencies select carefully officers for this special assignment. Best Practices for School Policing Aug. 14, 2015 —The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has developed this position statement in response to a recent event involving a school resource officer (SRO) allegedly using physical restraints on a special needs child and other incidents with the involvement of SROs in school disciplinary situations. NASRO recognizes that SROs always have the best interests of students at heart, and have an understanding of several physical and psychological factors that could affect disciplinary incidents. A Clear and Concise Memorandum of Understanding is Essential • Every law enforcement agency that places an officer in a school should have in place a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by the heads of both the law enforcement agency and the educational institution. NASRO recommends that the MOU: o Require that all school resource officers (SROs) be carefully selected law enforcement officers who have received specialized SRO training in the use of police powers and authority in a school environment. o Clearly define the roles of the SRO to include those of: • Law enforcement officer • Teacher • Informal counselor o Prohibit SROs from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators. SROs must Receive Training Regarding Special Needs Children • Recognizing the critical need for SROs to receive specialized training in the education of special -needs children, NASRO includes extensive information on the topic in the SRO courses it makes available to all police agencies nationwide. NASRO also includes sessions by experts on the topic at its annual national conferences. • NASRO's training helps SROs understand how special needs children and their behaviors are different from those who don't have special needs. It also provides SROs with information on special education laws, regulations and policies, including the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document that schools create for each special education student. Typically, the IEP for a student known to have behavior issues clearly specifies how educators will respond to such issues. • NASRO training also emphasizes proactive school policing — including relationship building — designed to prevent the need for SRO interventions with any student, including special needs students. School Resource Officer Information • NASRO continually evaluates its SRO curriculum and plans to investigate expanding special education components even further. Use of Physical Restraint Devices is Rarely Necessary • NASRO recognizes that every state and local law enforcement agency has its own policies regarding the appropriate use of physical restraint. NASRO believes the U.S. Department of Education's position that "restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff" is the best practice to follow in nearly all situations. • Further, when agencies and educational institutions follow NASRO's recommended practice of prohibiting SRO involvement in formal school discipline, an SRO should need to use a physical restraint device (e.g. handcuffs or flex cuffs) only in a case that requires the physical arrest of a student for referral to the criminal justice system. Source: NASRO.org (2017)