U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

Fact Sheet www.cops.usdoj.gov

School Resource Officers and School-based Policing

A school resource officer (SRO) is a career law enforcement officer assigned in a community policing capacity 

to a local educational agency. SROs work in collaboration 

with schools and community-based organizations to provide a positive and visible law enforcement presence on 

school campuses. SROs have four major roles:

 Law Enforcement. SROs address crime and disorder

in and around school campus. SROs strive to employ 

non-punitive techniques when interacting with students, 

using citation and arrest only as a last resort under narrow circumstances.

 Informal Counselor. SROs build relationships with students and act as liaisons to community services for youth 

and families. 

 Educator. SROs teach students about crime prevention 

and safety, drug awareness, conflict resolution, and other 

topics related to law enforcement and the legal system.

 Emergency Manager. SROs develop and implement 

emergency preparedness policies, including comprehensive school safety plans, and coordinate with first responders in an emergency. SROs are integral members of a 

school threat assessment team.

Developing Your School-Based Partnership

It is essential for law enforcement agencies and schools 

implementing an SRO program to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that clearly documents the 

roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the SROs, school 

officials, law enforcement, education departments, students, 

and parents. A useful MOU documents the program’s purpose, all partner roles and responsibilities, and the parameters for information sharing. (Family Educational Rights 

and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws support SRO and school 

information sharing to maximize coordinated response and 

student safety.) The MOU should be reviewed and updated 

as needed on an annual basis.

Information sharing between SROs and school personnel 

should include student records when necessary to promote 

school safety and the physical security of students. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) supports 

such information sharing to maximize coordinated response 

and positive outcomes.

One essential element of an MOU is the clear prohibition 

on SROs responding to disciplinary matters. MOUs must 

clearly indicate that SROs will not be responsible for or 

involved in routine student discipline. Disciplinary issues 

are the sole responsibility of school personnel and should be 

carefully selected and trained. 

Selection and training

SRO candidates should be sworn law enforcement officers 

or deputies with at least three years’ work experience and an 

interest in developing positive, community-oriented relationships with youth and the school community. Candidates 

should volunteer for the assignment. 

Every new SRO should complete an initial training on 

police work in a school setting. Training should cover youth 

development, problem-solving and mentoring, positive 

behavior interventions, and emergency management. In 

addition, SROs should have annual refresher training to 

learn about new standards and policies and the most current 

research. The COPS Office partners with the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) to support 

local, national, and online training. 

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School Resource Officers and School-based Policing

Emergency management

SROs are also integral to school emergency preparation and 

response. In addition to formal prevention measures such as 

threat assessments and safety plans, SROs can also intervene 

with students at risk of violence. In an actual emergency, 

such as an attack or a natural disaster, SROs respond in their 

law enforcement capacity and act as a liaison between the 

school and first responders. 

School-based Policing

School districts and law enforcement agencies may not be 

able to sustain assigned SROs in the K-12 setting, but 

officers and school personnel can still collaborate to increase 

student safety and reduce crime. Officers can be involved in 

schools as visiting instructors, coaches, or mentors for programs such as Youth Cadets. Officers can be integral partners in threat assessment and emergency management teams. 

Officers can also provide support and crime prevention for 

specific events such after-school sports. Security staff can support safety initiatives but do not replace law enforcement. 

Ongoing communication between officers and youth, 

through either an SRO program or school-based policing, 

leads to improved trust and mutual respect, which results 

in a safer school and improved outcomes for students. 

What is a School Resource Officer?

Federal statute defines a school resource officer 

as a career law enforcement officer, with sworn 

authority, deployed in community oriented 

policing, and assigned by the employing police 

department to a local educational agency to work 

in collaboration with schools and communitybased organizations to

 educate students in crime and illegal drug use 

prevention and safety; 

 develop or expand community justice initiatives 

for students; 

 train students in conflict resolution, restorative 

justice, and crime and illegal drug use awareness.

Resources

Supporting Safe Schools webpage.

https://cops.usdoj.gov/supportingsafeschools

Beyond the Badge: Profile of a School Resource 

Officer – A film about SRO Ronald Cockrell and 

the work of SROs, with accompanying discussion guides.

https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/ric.

php?page=detail&id=COPS-CD050

To Protect and Educate: The School Resource 

Officer and the Prevention of Violence in Schools

– A NASRO publication.

https://nasro.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/

NASRO-To-Protect-and-Educate-nosecurity.pdf. 

Averted School Violence Database – A reporting 

system that enables law enforcement, school 

personnel and mental health professionals to 

share their stories and lessons learned.

https://www.avertedschoolviolence.org/

Readiness and Emergency Management 

for Schools Center (REMS TA) – A technical 

assistance hub that provides information, 

resources, training, and services in the field 

of campus emergency operations planning.

https://rems.ed.gov/

Protecting Student Privacy: K-12 School Officials – 

Resources addressing FERPA, including guidance 

for SROs and school based policing.

https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/audience/

school-officials-k-12

Contact the COPS Office

For more information about COPS Office 

programs and resources, please call the COPS 

Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 or visit 

the COPS Office website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

December 2019