The School Resource Officer Program is a collaborative effort between Law Enforcement Officers and the school district. The presence of a School Resource Officer is an important step in increasing school safety.

In a School Resource Officer program the members of the school community partner with the local police department to have a uniformed Law Enforcement Officer (SRO) assigned to their school in order to create a setting that is safe and secure, with a focus on prevention and early intervention activities.

The roles and responsibilities of the School Resource Officer vary from school to school. A diverse range of duties can be incorporated into the SRO job description. Some functions served by the SRO include: law enforcement officer, public safety specialist, community liaison and problem solver, law-related educator, and positive role model.

The Lee’s Summit School Resource Officer Program (SRO) began in the early 1990’s using patrol officers working part time in the high schools. In 1996, the Lee’s Summit Police Department and the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District established a permanent SRO unit, assigning a uniformed police officer to each high school, and eventually to each middle school. The unit was later expanded to include a Blue Springs school district middle school which is within the city of Lee’s Summit.

School Resource Officers become very involved in their schools. They take pride in becoming part of the school community and building relationships with their students. SRO’s sit on many committees such as Teen Council, Student Assistance Program, Eastern Jackson County Safe Schools Task Force and the Partnership to Prevent Underage Drinking to name a few. These relationships foster a safer environment for the students and provide a source for those students in need of assistance.