Marin County Grand Jury • 2018-2019

School Resource Officers Revisited

Published: May 30, 2019 14 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 12 findings

F1
School Resource Officers promote strong collaborative relationships between schools and law enforcement that benefits the entire community. School districts and municipalities that have SRO programs praise them highly.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
SRO programs in Marin County should be retained or expanded where they now exist. SRO programs should be established to cover those school districts where they do not exist.
F2
SRO programs are wise investments that help provide safe learning environments for students, reduce crime, and build strong relationships with students, parents, and school staff.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Municipalities, school districts, and law enforcement agencies in Marin County should make SRO programs a high budgetary priority.
F3
Assigning officers to be dedicated, full-time SROs for longer terms isn’t always a high priority or financially feasible but can be a wise investment that yields substantial benefits to students, schools, and their communities.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
To insure continuity, each SRO should be assigned to serve for at least a four-year term.
F4
Continuity is essential for SRO programs to thrive. When SROs serve for limited or uncertain terms, their effectiveness can decrease.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office should have two additional full-time SRO positions.
F5
The Sheriff Department’s has one SRO to cover all the county’s unincorporated areas and assists any school or SRO in the county that requests help, which is insufficient.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The City of San Rafael should have at least one additional full-time SRO.
F6
The City of San Rafael has one SRO for over 7300 students, which is insufficient.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Mill Valley should employ a full-time SRO who regularly visits its schools rather than simply assigning an officer to be on call for its schools.
F7
Mill Valley does not have a full time SRO to regularly visit its schools, which limits its SRO’s ability to build relationships with students and school staff.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
All SROs should complete SRO POST training
F8
Training for SROs in Marin County is inconsistent. The role of an SRO significantly differs from that of a patrol officer and requires specialized training.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
Law enforcement agencies should fund additional training for SROs that will help them keep up with and handle their responsibilities.
F9
Officers serve as SROs for terms varying from three to five years. Three-year assignments are barely adequate, and four to five-year terms are preferable.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
School districts should take the lead in working with their city councils and law enforcement agencies to employ and maintain a sufficient number of SROs.
F10
With the exception of Central Marin Police Authority, most communities fund SRO programs on a year to year basis. Other communities lack reliable sources of funding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
School districts and municipalities should explore funding sources such as grants, bond issues, special taxes, and other sources.
F11
With the exception of Novato, the costs of the SRO programs are financed by the local police budgets or the Sheriff’s budget with no financial contribution by the school districts. The districts’ participation in SRO funding is lacking.
Related Recommendations (1)
R11
School districts and municipalities should consider sharing the costs and services of SRO programs.
F12
Collaboration between the SROs improves their effectiveness, but they do not meet regularly or frequently to exchange ideas and information. MCOE’s School / Law Enforcement Partnership (SLEP) partially fills that deficiency, but additional organization is needed.
Related Recommendations (1)
R12
County law enforcement agencies should provide the time and facilities for the SROs to meet regularly to exchange information, ideas, and discuss new trends

No Responses Found 20

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

Belvedere City
Bolinas-Stinson Union School District School District
Kentfield Elementary School District School District
Lagunitas Elementary School District School District
Larkspur-Corte Madera School District School District
Marin County Board of Supervisors Elected County Office
Marin County Sheriff Elected County Office
Miller Creek School District School District
Mill Valley City
Mill Valley Elementary School District School District
Novato City
Novato Unified School District School District
Reed Union Elementary School District School District
Ross Elementary School District School District
Ross Valley Elementary School District School District
San Rafael City
Sausalito City
Sausalito Marin City School District School District
Shoreline Unified School District School District
Tamalpais Union High School District School District