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Sheriff’s Office Is Back to School with Your Students
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Sheriff’s Office Is Back to School with Your Students
By Santa Cruz County Sheriff Steve Robbins
It’s that time of year again for students to return to school and the accompanying anxieties and excitement that young people experience as a result. The parents feel the anxiety as well and want to know that their children will be in a safe learning environment on campus.
The news media seem to regularly report various incidents on school grounds where tragic, violent acts have occurred. The 1999 Columbine High School shooting brought national attention to the immediate need for police on campus and spurred the federal government to fund Cops-In-School grants.
As a result, the Sheriff’s Office worked with school districts in the unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County to place school resource officers on the school grounds some years ago.
Needless to say, one of the first lines of defense for your child is the school resource officer or SRO.
There are great benefits to having a deputy or police officer on your child’s campus. First, the amount of time to react to school problems is vastly reduced. Prior to deputies being assigned, school administrators would have to call 9-1-1 and request a deputy to respond. Taking into account the large areas that this county’s patrol beats encompass, response could take longer than anticipated. In the meantime, school staff may be dealing with aggressive students in a fight.
Second, SROs routinely prevent crime and violence by being proactive on campus. There have been numerous instances in our experience where a SRO’s contact with students had prevented more serious problems from breaking out on campus. Many times, the SRO will hear about a brewing problem, such as an anticipated confrontation between students and quickly intervene before it reaches a violent stage.
In addition, the presence alone of the deputy makes a difference and provides a deterrent effect. The fact that an officer is present on campus can dramatically reduce truancy, tardiness, drug or weapons possession, and deters unwanted visitors to school grounds.
Third, the school officer usually assists school administrators with campus safety plans in case of a disaster or critical incident. They participate in assessments of safety issues and potential evacuations of students.
They also engage in training with other school staff on drug influence recognition, calming contentious students, traffic flow and laws affecting schools. On occasion, school officers will attend parent functions to educate them about drugs, gangs and other safety issues that a child may be exposed to on campus.
Fourth, we value having a collaborative relationship with our schools, students and parents as part of our community policing efforts. Deputies assigned to the school campuses are selected for their ability to work with young people and provide a level of trust to the school environment.
Some officers will not only be involved in law enforcement on campus, but will also participate in teaching, counseling, and mentoring students. Officers work with school administration to assist them reach their safety goals and direction on campus. Students hopefully gain a different perspective toward police officers and are more willing to report crime on campus, knowing that the officer will not betray their confidence. Some officers work with troubled students to reinforce school rules and expectations so that the student avoids the criminal justice system.
Challenging Job for SROs
Our staff recognizes and appreciates the vast amount of work performed by our officers on campus. When an officer has been away from the school grounds due to illness or vacation, patrol officers responding to the campus comment that they did not realize the volume of calls and issues that SROs handle on a daily basis.
Our deputies currently are assigned to San Lorenzo Valley High School, Soquel High, Aptos High, Aptos Junior High and Lakeview Middle School.
With the success of the SRO program, the Sheriff’s Office expanded its services to schools by contracting with Cabrillo College a few years ago for public safety on their campuses. Despite patrol staffing concerns, the Sheriff’s Office recognizes the overwhelming need and benefit to having deputies assigned to our schools.
Contributing school resource officers to our children’s schools repays the agency in significant ways, from keeping deputies in their patrol areas to forging important relationships with our young people and educators.
Have a Safe School Year!
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