5/23/2007

School Resource Officers are a ‘good thing’
Commentary by Bob Lassahn

Worcester County is proud of its school system. Rightfully so, since recognition on both the state and national level is a telling argument to support a claim to excellence. But the real proof is in the quality of the student it turns out. There is no need to reiterate test score results, percentage of students who graduate or numbers that go on to higher education, because they have been well publicized.

Reasons cited for the success of Worcester County schools is the ongoing support from the community, professional leadership and of course the willingness of both the Worcester County Commissioners and Worcester County citizens to allocate sufficient funding to keep the schools first rate. On the bottom line you only get what you are willing to pay for.

For the upcoming fiscal year the commissioners will have their hands full reconciling the county budget. A $23.5 million difference between requested expenditures and income will need to be sorted out, so they are likely to be looking closely at requested expenditures. One basic fact that remains constant year after year is that education will fare very well in getting most of its requests. There is however an education related expenditure that is tucked away in the budget request from the sheriff. It is one that should not be overlooked in importance.

A portion of Sheriff Charles Martin's requested budget increase would fund three new full-time School Resource Deputy Sheriff positions. At first blush more than a few people have wondered aloud regarding both the need for these positions and the value for the dollars invested. A bit of research would demonstrate that the School Resource Officer (SRO) has proven time and again to be a worthwhile investment.

SRO programs have been in America's schools since the 1960s, but following the school shootings of the late 1990s the placement of law enforcement officers in schools has spread significantly. But their presence is not solely to provide a first response to potential violence, rather to build a relationship of trust and confidence with the student body they serve and through this to potentially intervene before things go completely bad. Their sidearm, while potentially a lifesaver when all else fails, is secondary to their primary mission.

SROs can serve as role models in addition to being counselors and educators within their area of expertise. They also provide the student and parents with a greater sense of security, thus enhancing the educational atmosphere and experience. Time and again through youth based prevention programs sworn officers have had a profound impact on helping kids make better choices. Daily exposure creates greater understanding and more open lines of communication.

During my 30 year career in law enforcement I spent nearly 20 years associated with crime prevention. The programs work when both the police and citizens are committed and in the long run are much more cost effective than simply adding more officers to respond to criminal events after they occur. The old "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" adage certainly applies to crime.

In my opinion Sheriff Martin has shown excellent foresight in recommending the addition of three SROs to Worcester County schools. While Worcester County has not experienced a tragedy, taking steps to avoid one should be proactive and not a retrofit knee-jerk reaction to what might have been prevented. I hope the commissioners might see fit to keep the three SROs in the current budget. It seems to me a very good investment in our school system.

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