School Resource Officer

School Resource Officer Survey 2006 Results Presented By: The Office of Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Division of Victim Services and Criminal Justice Programs Bill McCollum ATTORNEY GENERAL STATE OF FLORIDA Margaret Boeth Research and Training Specialist PL-01 The Capitol Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1050 Telephone (850) 414-3360, SunCom 994-3360 Fax (850) 413-0633, SunCom 293-0633 December 4, 2007 Dear School Resource Officer Supervisors: Attached is a copy of the results from the School Resource Officer (SRO) survey that was sent to you last year. Surveys were sent to 179 agencies and 157 responded which accounted for an 88% return. I appreciate your time and effort in contributing to the comprehensive overview of the SRO program in Florida. The School Resource Officer concept is thriving through its diversity. The numbers of SROs are growing daily as is their visibility and importance in every school system. There are now more than 1600 SROs in the state representing 66 counties. You will find an Executive Summary followed by charts and graphs. Hopefully, this data will be of benefit in evaluating and expanding your program. I hope that this survey will be of value to you and your agency. Once again, thanks for your assistance and please share with me your comments and suggestions concerning the survey and for the development of training. Sincerely, Margaret Boeth SRO Training Coordinator Research and Training Specialist Bureau of Criminal Justice Programs (850) 414-3352 margaret.boeth@myfloridalegal.com

SRO Survey 2006 Executive Summary Listed below are summary statements from the survey. Question 1. How many full-time SROs (excluding Dare Officers and Supervisors) are currently on staff? 1541 Total 79% males to 21% females Question 2. How many schools are served by these officers? 32% of the elementary schools have SROs 91% of the middle schools have SROs 409 high schools reported having 491 assigned SROs Question 3. Do you have 2 or more officers assigned to high schools or middle schools? 40% of high schools have 2 or more officers assigned 14% of middle schools have 2 or more officers assigned Question 4. What is the ratio of supervisors to SROs? (i.e. 1 supervisor for 8 officers) There is approximately one SRO Supervisor for every 5.65 SROs Question 5. Do you supervise officers other than the SRO Unit? 72% of supervisors indicated that they supervised other officers in addition to their SROs. 2006 SRO Survey Executive Summary Page 1

Question 6. Do "School Crossing Guards" fall under your supervision? 30% of supervisors indicated that "School Crossing Guards" fall under their supervision. Question 7. How is your program funded? 46% of the SRO programs are funded equally, 50% from law enforcement, and 50% from the school board. There are 30 other funding combinations for the remainder of the SRO programs. Question 8. Does your SRO program receive any Federal (U.S. Department of Justice) funding? 7% of SRO Programs receive Federal Funding. Question 9. Does your school district also employ non-commissioned, non-peace-officer school district employees to perform security related functions in addition to SROs? 55% of SRO programs indicated that they employ additional personnel to perform security functions. Question 10. Does your school district have a "School Security Police Department" or equivalency, separate from the SRO program? 28% of school districts have a "School Security Police Department" independent of the SRO program. Question 11. Is your School District considering the establishment of a "School Security Police Department", separate from the SRO program? 8% Yes 60% No 32% Not sure 2006 SRO Survey Executive Summary Page 2

Question 12. Does your department have a contractual agreement with your local school board for the School Resource Officer Program? 94% of law enforcement agencies have contractual agreements with their school board for their SRO programs. Question 13. Are there incentives in your agency for an officer/deputy to become an SRO? 54% of agencies have or provide incentives to become an SRO. A. If so, please indicate what they are: 37% salary increase/extra pay 77% weekends/holidays off 47% specialized unit 5% promotion 14% summer off 31% take home specialized vehicle 23% comp time 12% other Question 14. Check the highest level of education, if any, that is required for an officer to be an SRO? 86% are required to have a high school education. 13% are required to have an Associate Degree or some college courses. 1% is required to have a Bachelor's Degree. Question 15. Is there a policy that specifies the length of time an SRO can remain in that position? 7% of SROs indicated there was a policy. or are they re-assigned on a rotating basis? 0% indicated SROs are re-assigned on a rotating basis. 2006 SRO Survey Executive Summary Page 3

Question 16. How long has the SRO Supervisor been in that position? 17% of the SRO Supervisors indicated they had been in their position for 0-1 year. 21% of the SRO Supervisors indicated they had been in their position for 1-2 years. 21% of the SRO Supervisors indicated they had been in their position for 2-3 years. 14% of the SRO Supervisors indicated they had been in their position for 3-4 years. 18% of the SRO Supervisors indicated they had been in their position for 5-10 years. 10% of the SRO Supervisors indicated they had been in their position for more than 10 years. Question 17. How long has your most experienced SRO been in the SRO Unit? On average the most experienced SRO will spend 9.37 years in the unit. Question 18. On average, how long do SROs serve in your unit? On average SROs will spend 5.12 years in the unit. Question 19. Who predominately supplies SROs with equipment, facilities or supplies (such as computers, desk, office space, phones, secretarial support, office supplies)? 71% School District 29% Law Enforcement Question 20. As a supervisor, are you involved or consulted in the allocation of "Safe Schools" funding in your school district? 75% of the supervisors are not involved or consulted in the allocation of "Safe Schools" funding in their districts. 2006 SRO Survey Executive Summary Page 4

Question 21. As an SRO supervisor, are you involved in the development of the Critical Incident or School Safety plans for your school system? 22% of supervisors are not involved in the development of the Critical Incident or School Safety Plan for their district. Question 22. In the case of a crisis on your campus, are there separate Critical Incident plans (one from the Law Enforcement Agency and one developed by the School District for their staff)? 62% indicated that "yes," the Law Enforcement Agency and the School District each have separate plans. 7% indicated that "no," there was only one plan. 5% indicated they were "not sure." 26% indicated that there is a collaborative plan. Question 23. As an SRO supervisor, do your officers feel that the SESIR (School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting) system accurately reflects the number of serious incidents occurring in the school district? 55% of SRO Supervisors indicated their SROs felt the SESIR (School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting) system accurately reflected the number of serious incidents occurring in their school district. Question 24. When officers attend SRO training, who funds it? 51% of the SRO programs are funded 100% by their law enforcement agencies. There are 21 other funding combinations for SROs to attend training. The majority of respondents indicated most training funding is generated from their own law enforcement agency. 2006 SRO Survey Executive Summary Page 5

Question 25. What factors limit your SROs' ability to attend more training related to their duties as SROs? (Check all that apply) 35% of agencies indicated there was no funding to pay for training tuition. 33% of agencies indicated no funding was available to pay for travel and expenses. 85% of agencies indicated there was a conflict in the scheduled times of the trainings and could not leave school. 17% of agencies indicated there was no overtime pay to attend outside of regular school/duty hours. 2% of agencies indicated there were other reasons or concerns. These responses indicate there are multiple factors as to why SROs are limited in their ability to attend training. Question 26. The FDLE "40 hour SRO Basic Training" course # 090 is a Salary Incentive/Mandatory retraining course that can be offered through Criminal Justice Academies and the Attorney General's Office. According to Supervisors, 237 SROs have not taken the FDLE 40 hour SRO Basic Training Course. According to Supervisors, 1071 SROs have taken the FDLE 40 hour SRO Basic Training Course. Question 27. Does your school district have the DARE program? 68% indicated they have a "D.A.R.E." program. 72% of those who do not have a "D.A.R.E." program, indicated they have a comparable program. Question 28. Does your school district have the GREAT program? 47% indicated they have a "G.R.E.A.T." program. 17% of those who do not have a "G.R.E.A.T." program, indicated they have a comparable program. 2006 SRO Survey Executive Summary Page 6

Question 29. Do you have substitute SROs? 34% of the Supervisors reported they do not have "substitute SROs". Question 30. Does your SRO contract require that the schools are covered when the SRO is not on campus? 49% of SRO supervisors indicated their SRO contract requires that the schools are covered when the SRO is not on campus. Question 31. What is done when an SRO cannot be at school? 12% of SRO supervisors indicate nothing is done when an SRO is not at school. 35% of SRO supervisors indicated they send a substitute. 30% of SRO supervisors indicate they cover the school themselves. 38% of SRO supervisors indicate road patrol is called. 29% of SRO supervisors indicate other measures are taken. These responses indicate there are multiple options as to what is done when an SRO cannot be at school. Question 32. In a 40-hour week, how many hours of your SRO's time (use one officer as an example) is spent on the following duties: Elementary Schools 9 hours on average of the week is spent on law enforcement duties. 11 hours on average of the week is spent on classroom instruction. 8 hours on average of the week is spent on counseling students. 7 hours on average of the week is spent on other duties. 2006 SRO Survey Executive Summary Page 7

Middle Schools 16 hours on average of the week is spent on law enforcement duties. 6 hours on average of the week is spent on classroom instruction. 10 hours on average of the week is spent on counseling students. 7 hours on average of the week is spent on other duties. High Schools 20 hours on average of the week is spent on law enforcement duties. 4 hours on average of the week is spent on classroom instruction. 10 hours on average of the week is spent on counseling students. 6 hours on average of the week is spent on other duties. Question 33. How would you best describe the SROs overall role on campus as an SRO? 4% indicated their overall role was reactionary. 13% indicated their overall role was preventative. 83% indicated their overall role was a 50/50 mix. 1% indicated their overall role encompassed other roles. Question 34. Using a scale of 1-5 (1 equals poor up to 5 equals excellent), on average SROs rated their working relationship with each group as follows: 4.56 School Administrators 4.43 Students 4.45 Teachers 4.16 Parents 4.49 Other school support staff 2006 SRO Survey Executive Summary Page 8

Question 35. Check each of the following tasks that your SROs perform. 81% Security audits/assessments of school campuses 75% Crisis preparedness planning 93% Classroom instruction 83% Special safety programs/presentations 76% Faculty/staff in-service presentations 57% Parent organization presentations 97% One-on-one counseling with students 59% Group counseling with students 43% Coaching athletic programs 51% Supervising/coordinating non-athletic clubs, extracurricular programs 71% Field trip chaperone 96% Calls for service to classrooms 86% Truancy intervention 18% Other These responses indicate that SROs perform multiple duties. 2006 SRO Survey Executive Summary Page 9

SRO Survey Question 1. Of the 1541 SROs currently on staff, the following graph shows the ratio of males to female officers (excluding Dare Officers and Supervisors). Percentage of Male to Female SROs 21% males females 79% Question 2. How many schools are served by these officers? 1200 1000 1002 800 600 400 323 531 485 409 491 Number of Schools Number of Officers 200 61 21 168 84 0 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 1

Question 3. Do you have 2 or more officers assigned to high schools or middle schools? 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% High School Middle School 10% 5% 0% 40% 14% Question 4. What is the ratio of supervisors to SROs? (i.e., 1 supervisor for 8 officers) 151 Supervisors 1 Supervisor for every 5.65 853.3 Officers 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 2

Question 5. Do you supervise officers other than the SRO Unit? 27.74% No 72.26% Yes Question 6. Do "School Crossing Guards" fall under your supervision? 29.71% Yes 70.29% No 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 3

Question 7. How is your program funded? (Some agencies have more than one funding formula. If this applies to your agency, how are your other SROs funded?) % LEO % School Board %Federal %Grant % Other Number of Responses 50 50 62 100 9 25 75 8 60 40 6 80 20 5 75 25 5 90 10 5 100 4 70 30 4 65 35 3 40 60 2 83 17 2 50 50 1 88 12 1 100 1 85 10 5 1 82 18 1 34 66 1 28 72 1 15 85 1 66 34 1 55 45 1 1 99 1 100 1 80 20 1 33 67 1 75 25 1 49 37 14 1 30 70 1 35 65 1 49 49 2 1 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 4

Question 8. Does your SRO program receive Federal (U. S. Department of Justice) funding? 7.25% Yes 92.75% No Question 9. Does your school district also employ non-commissioned, non-peace-officer school district employees to perform security related functions in addition to SROs? 44.53% do not hire security personnel 55.47% employ security personnel 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 5

Question 10. Does your school district have a "School Security Police Department" or equivalency, separate from the SRO program? 28.15% have a school security police department 71.85% do not have a school security police department Question 11. Is your School District considering the establishment of a "School Security Police Department", separate from the SRO program? 60% 50% 40% 30% Yes No Not Sure 20% 10% 0% 8.40% 59.66% 31.93% 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 6

Question 12. Does your department have a contractual agreement with your local school board for the School Resource Officer Program? 5.88% do not have a contract 94.12% have a contract Question 13. Are there incentives in your agency for an officer to become an SRO? 45.59% do not have incentives 54.41% have incentives 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 7

Question 14. Check the highest level of education, if any, that is required for an officer to be an SRO? 86% High School 1% Bachelor's degree 13% AA degree or some college courses Question 15. Is there a policy that specifies the length of time an SRO can remain in that position? 7% have a policy 93% do not have a policy 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 8

Question 16. How long has the SRO Supervisor been in that position? 25% 20% 15% 17% 21% 21% 14% 18% 0-1 year 1-2 years 2-3 years 3-4 years 10% 10% 5-10 years 10+ years 5% 0% Question 17. How long has your most experienced SRO been in the SRO Unit? 10.00 9.00 8.00 7.00 6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 0.00 9.37 Years 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 9

Question 18. On average, how long do SROs serve in your unit? 6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 5.12 Years 2.00 1.00 0.00 Question 19. Who predominately supplies SROs with equipment, facilities or supplies (such as computers, desk, office space, phones, secretarial support, office supplies)? 80.00% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% 71% 29% School Districts Law Enforcement 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 10

Question 20. As a supervisor, are you involved or consulted in the allocation of "Safe Schools" funding in your school district? 25% are involved 75% are not involved Question 21. As an SRO supervisor, are you involved in the development of the Critical Incident or School Safety plans for your school system? 78% are involved 22% are not involved 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 11

Question 22. In the case of a crisis on your campus, are there separate critical incident plans (one from the Law Enforcement Agency and one developed by the School District for their staff)? 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% separate plan one plan not sure collaborative plan 10.00% 0.00% 62% 7% 5% 26% Question 23. As an SRO supervisor, do your officers feel that the SESIR (School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting) system accurately reflects the number of serious incidents occurring in the school district? 44% did not agree with the accuracy of the reporting 2% not sure 55% agree with the accuracy of the reporting 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 12

Question 24. When officers attend SRO training, who funds it? % School District % LEA %Forfeiture Funds % Personal % Other Number of Responses 100 69 50 50 25 100 8 20 80 5 10 90 5 25 75 3 40 60 2 5 95 2 100 2 50 50 2 95 5 1 80 20 1 75 25 1 70 30 1 60 40 1 60 40 1 30 70 1 20 80 1 15 85 1 10 70 20 1 80 10 10 1 100 1 Question 25. What factors limit your SROs' ability to attend more training related to their duties as SROs? (Check all that apply) 35% no funding for training 33% no funding for travel 85% conflict in scheduled times 17% no overtime pay 12% other reasons or concerns 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 13

Question 26. The FDLE "40 hour SRO Basic Training" course #090 is a Salary Incentive/Mandatory retraining course that can be offered through Criminal Justice Academies and the Attorney General's Office. How many SROs (have/have not) taken the course? 1200 1000 800 600 have not taken have taken 400 200 0 237 SROs 1071 SROs Question 27. Does your school district have the DARE program? 32% No 68% Yes 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 14

Question 28. Does your school district have the GREAT program? 47% Yes 53% No Question 29. Do you have substitute SROs? 34% yes 66% no 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 15

Question 30. Does your SRO contract require that the schools are covered when the SRO is not on campus? 51% do not require coverage 49% require coverage Question 31. What is done when an SRO cannot be at school? 29% 30% 35% 38% other measures are taken road patrol is called supervisor covers school send a substitute 12% nothing is done 0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 16

Question 32. In a 40-hour week, how many hours of your SRO's time (use one officer as an example) is spent on the following duties: 7 hours 7 hours 6 hours 8 hours 10 hours 10 hours 11 hours 6 hours 4 hours 9 hours 16 hours 20 hours 0 10 20 30 40 50 Elementary Schools Middle Schools High Schools Question 33. How would you best describe the SROs overall role on campus as an SRO? 1% role encompasses other roles 83% role is 50/50 mix 13% role is preventative 4% role is reactionary 0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00% 100.00% 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 17

Question 34. Using a scale of 1-5 (1 equals poor up to 5 equals excellent), on average SROs rated their working relationship with each group as follows: 4.49 Other school support staff 4.56 School Administrators 4.16 Parents 4.43 Students 4.45 Teachers 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 18

Question 35. Check each of the following tasks that your SROs perform. 18 % Other 86 % Truancy intervention 96% Calls for service to classrooms 71% Field trip chaperone 51% Supervising/coordinating nonathletic clubs, extracurricular programs 43% Coaching athletic programs 59% Group counseling with students 97% one-on-one counseling with students 57% Parent organization presentations 76% Faculty/staff in-service presentations 83% Special safety programs/presentations 93% Classroom instruction 75% Crisis preparedness planning 81% Security audits/assessments of school 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 19

Appendix Florida County Map 2006 SRO Survey Charts Page 20