School Resource Officers

SPD has two School Resource Officers and a K9 who serve as the primary liaison between Stephenville Schools and the Police Department. One officer is assigned to the Jr. High and the other along with K9 Ixi are assigned to the high school. 

An SRO has a diverse role in the school community and has many duties and responsibilities.

School Resource Officers are a sworn officer assigned to a school on a long-term basis trained to perform three major roles: law enforcement officer, law-related counselor and law-related educator. In addition, the officer works in collaboration with the school and the community as a resource for safety and security issues.

The SRO assists the school administration in maintaining a safe and secure environment. School administrators benefit from the SROs training, knowledge and experience is handling situations involving possible weapons violations or in the identification of controlled dangerous substances. The SRO provides a highly visible presence to deter or identify trespassers on campus.

SROs are responsible for investigating violations of criminal law and when appropriate make arrests. An SROs sworn duty to enforce the law does not contradict the need for the SRO to be positive role model -- it in fact supports it. It is essential for a SRO to endorse high moral standards and use good judgment and discretion. Through this, students learn and understand what a professional police officer does.