Southside Police Department School Resource Officers Program

While the duties of SROs can vary from one community to another,
which makes it difficult to develop a single list of SRO responsibilities, their activities can be
placed into three general categories: (1) safety expert and law enforcer, (2) problem solver and
liaison to community resources, and (3) educator. SROs can act as safety experts and law
enforcers by, assuming primary responsibility for handling calls for service from the school,
making arrests, issuing citations on campus, taking actions against unauthorized persons on
school property, and responding to off-campus criminal activities that involve students. SROs
also serve as first responders in the event of critical incidents at the school. SROs can help to
solve problems that are not necessarily crimes (e.g., bullying or disorderly behavior) but that can
contribute to criminal incidents. Problem-solving activities conducted by SROs can include
developing and expanding crime prevention efforts and community justice initiatives for students.
SROs can also present courses on topics related to policing or responsible citizenship for
students, faculty, and parents.