Pre-registration: Oct 25
Conference: Oct 26-27
Workshop: Oct 28
SRO Congress
School resource officers (SROs) have existed since the 1950s. However, the tragic events of Columbine High School in April of 1999 spawned a national call for placing more police officers in schools. The mission of the SRO program has evolved over the years. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, SROs were seen as a deterrent to crime and a preventer of school-based violence. As time has passed and best practices established, SRO programs evolved to prioritize building relationships and to prevent youth crime v. response and punishment.
After the tragic events of Parkland High School in February of 2018, where 17 students lost their lives, a new emphasis was placed on school security. Across the country, many states infused millions of dollars into school security programs, SRO programs, and the establishment of state-level school safety centers. Calls were made for an expansion of SRO programs in many jurisdictions.
Over the last several years SRO programs have come under attack. Advocates argued that when SROs are present, students of color were arrested more frequently, and “normal childhood behaviors” are criminalized. Additionally, the advocates argued there was no evidence that the presence of an SRO reduces the risk or carnage of school shootings. Further, they argued that monies spent on school security and SRO programs would be better spent on school counselors and social workers. This movement led to several jurisdictions removing SROs.
As the “defund the police” movement was taking shape, most schools had been utilizing virtual education for several months. This practice continued through June of 2021. Due to COVID-19, the 2021-22 school year was the first time in 18 months most students had attended in-person instruction. When students returned to school, a number of social, emotional, and behavioral issues led to increased behavioral problems within most schools. Actual and perceived violence within schools resulted in many jurisdictions reinitiating SRO programs. In some jurisdictions, programs were reimagined, new memorandums of understanding were established, and programs were restarted in other areas.
On May 24th, 2022, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, 19 students and two teachers lost their lives in a school shooting. The police response has been deemed an “abject failure.” The lack of basic school safety measures and protocols such as locking doors has also become an important topic. This event has again spurred a national conversation about school safety, law enforcement presence in schools, and effective prevention, mitigation, and response to school-based violence.
The reports that have been released thus far on the Uvalde shooting, illustrate the latest example of systematic failures in police leadership, political leadership, incident command, modern police tactics, crisis incident response, preparation, and basis physical security procedure. Every law enforcement agency in the United States should be digesting the information and working to ensure the failures witnessed at Uvalde never happen again.