U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

 Fact Sheet cops.usdoj.gov

FY 2021 COPS Hiring Program School 

Resource Officer Mandatory Training 

Overview

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

(COPS Office) is committed to ensuring student success 

in supportive, safe environments by providing a variety 

of resources, including award funding, to deploy school 

resource officers (SRO). The fiscal year (FY) 2021 COPS 

Hiring Program (CHP) includes awards for agencies to 

deploy SROs to school districts across the country. 

To ensure COPS Office–funded SROs have the resources 

and knowledge necessary for their position, the COPS 

Office enacted a CHP training requirement. All SRO officers funded by FY 2021 CHP awards will be required to 

send each awarded SRO position to a regionally based 

training sponsored and subsidized by the COPS Office. 

Additional information about this training requirement will 

be provided to recipients at the time of award or shortly 

thereafter. 

How to Receive Funding

All agencies funding SROs through a FY 2021 CHP award 

will receive information about the SRO training requirement in their award terms and conditions, as well as in the 

CHP Award Owner’s Manual (AOM). The COPS Office 

requires that law enforcement agencies and schools first 

develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to 

clearly document the roles, responsibilities, and expectations 

of the individuals and partners involved, including SROs, 

school officials, law enforcement, education departments, 

students, families, and social service agencies. The MOU 

must be submitted within 90 days of the date shown on the 

award congratulatory letter. The CHP MOU Fact Sheet 

describing the contents of this MOU can be found on the 

COPS Office website at https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp.

If the COPS Office–funded SRO previously completed a 

basic SRO course within the last 12 months, the recipient 

should contact the COPS Office Response Center by phone 

at 800-421-6770 or by email at AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov and 

provide the location and date of the training, so that the 

COPS Office can determine if the training requirement has 

been satisfied.

Award Condition

COPS Office–funded SRO(s) are required to complete a basic 40-hour SRO training course from a list of COPS 

Office–approved provider(s). Training must be completed no later than nine months after the date shown on the 

award congratulatory letter or six months from the SRO hire date, whichever comes first. If a COPS Office–funded 

SRO leaves the recipient agency after completing the training, the recipient agrees to pay for the new SRO who 

is assigned to backfill this position to attend a 40-hour basic training course. The new SRO must complete the 

training no later than nine months after being placed in the school. If the officer has completed 40-hour basic 

training within the 12 months prior to the award date, the condition has been fulfilled. Any longer than 12 months 

will require the officer to retake the course. The agency must coordinate with the training provider if they want 

funds to cover registration and travel costs.

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2021 COPS Hiring Program School Resource Officer Mandatory Training

Additional Information

Supporting safe schools

The COPS Office is committed to supporting safe schools—

places where students can learn and teachers can 

educate—by providing a variety of resources, including 

award funds, to help deploy SROs. 

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/supportingsafeschools

Averted School Violence

The Averted School Violence Near Miss reporting system 

allows law enforcement officers, school personnel, and 

mental health professionals to share averted school 

violence stories in order to improve safety and prevent 

future injuries and fatalities in educational institutions from 

elementary school through higher education.

https://www.avertedschoolviolence.org/

An Introduction to SRO Programs

An interactive online course that provides an overview 

of the benefits, challenges, and best practices of SRO 

programs in our nation's schools. The National Association 

of School Resource Officers (NASRO) developed the course 

based on more than 20 years of experience in SRO training. 

https://copstrainingportal.org/project/anintroduction-to-sro-programs

Readiness and Emergency Management (REMS 

TA) for Schools Center

Technical assistance hub that provides information, 

resources, training, and services in the field to law 

enforcement and schools.

https://rems.ed.gov/

National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC)

NTAC provides guidance, resources, training, and 

information sharing on threat assessments to law 

enforcement, public safety, and academic partners. 

Includes the 2019 Protecting America's Schools publication. 

https://www.secretservice.gov/protection/ntac/

Youth.gov

Youth.gov provides information to create, maintain, and 

strengthen effective youth programs. Developed by 

representatives from 19 federal agencies, these programs 

and services focus on youth by promoting positive, 

healthy outcomes for children, teens, and young adults.

http://youth.gov/

About School Resource Officers

An SRO is a career law enforcement officer assigned in a 

community policing capacity to work in collaboration with 

schools and community-based organizations to

address crime and disorder problems, gangs, and drug 

activities affecting or occurring in or around an elementary or secondary school;

develop or expand crime prevention efforts for students;

educate likely school-age victims in crime prevention 

and safety;

develop or expand community justice initiatives for 

students;

train students in conflict resolution, restorative justice, 

and crime awareness;

assist in the identification of physical changes in the 

environment that may reduce crime in or around the 

school;

assist in developing school policy that addresses crime 

and to recommend procedural changes.

Contact the COPS Office

For more information about CHP, please 

call the COPS Office Response Center at 

800-421-6770 or visit the COPS Office website at https://cops.usdoj.gov.

November 2021