February 23, 2009

Due to next year’s anticipated $5.5 million budget shortage, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department will be suspending its School Resource Officer (SRO) Program at the end of the current school year.

The SRO Program began in July 2001 and was funded through a “Community Oriented Policing Services: Cops in Schools” grant. In 2005, the program was expanded as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department ended its presentation of the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and those deputies assigned to teaching DARE were reassigned as School Resource Officers.

The School Resource Officer Unit was then comprised of twenty-two deputies and two sergeants. The unit serves the needs of twelve school districts which included seven high schools, seventeen middle schools, and thirty-seven elementary schools.  
The SRO Unit mission is described as a three-prong approach which includes enforcement, education, and positive community interaction.  The primary educational component of the SRO Unit is the STAR (Student Training and Response) Program which provides an enrichment/prevention curriculum to fifth graders.  

The STAR curriculum is taught by school resource officers to fifth grade students. It offers insights into goal setting, decision making, problem solving, and long term success plans.  Instructors of the STAR Program customize presentations to best meet the needs of the students with the intent of leaving a lasting impression on how the students view their personal responsibilities, their future, and law enforcement in general.  The STAR Program is designed to provide opportunities for students to interact with deputies in an educational and character-building atmosphere and better prepare students for future challenges while creating a positive connection with the law enforcement community. Over three thousand students participate in the STAR program each year.

For sixteen years, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department led by the SRO Unit, with the assistance of local businesses and volunteers, has hosted the STAR Halloween event at the Tucson Electric Park. This venue has allowed the children of Pima County to enjoy a safe, positive atmosphere in which to interact with our agency while partaking in free refreshments, games, costume contests, displays, raffle prizes, and a Haunted House. Unfortunately, the STAR Halloween event has been canceled for this year.

SRO Deputies will continue in their assignments until the end of the school year when they will be reassigned to basic patrol duties.

It is anticipated that the SRO Program will be re-instated once the economy recovers, deputy hiring resumes, and deputy staffing reaches a level to support this needed program that serves the education system and youth of Pima County.