School Resource Officer Training

The CT School Resource Officer Program piloted by the Youth at Promise Alliance (Spector Criminal Justice Training Network) was the first CT-based program for School Resource and Juvenile Police Officers. The program was developed with the assistance of volunteers including CT SROs and CT youth specialists, and tailored to the needs of CT officers. This “YAPA” Advisory Group came together and determined what subject matter should be included within the curriculum that would assist officers to better perform in this unique role. The program was built with the concept of building relationships between law enforcement and youth, while protecting and serving them and the community at large. The concept supports that notion that youth are at promise, rather than at risk.

“I’m a police officer, not a teacher; however, I learned that I’m an educator. I have the responsibility as an SRO to educate the school community of my role. Children need to be educated, not eliminated.” 

Common responsibilities of a school-based police officer include mentoring, teaching, creating partnerships, building relationships, and ensuring school safety. Foundations of School Based Policing, Relevant Laws, Social Media/Technology Awareness, Bullying Intervention and Prevention, Adolescent Behavior including youth suicide and mental health awareness, Youth Conflict Management will all be covered. Officers will have opportunities to interact with School Administration and Students via panels and group activities.

Day 1 – Join three law enforcement professionals with a combined 72 years of experience in policing and vast experience working with youth! The first half of the day will include training on interviewing juveniles and the second half the officers will be taken through the process of 2 well-received student presentations covering topics including narcotics and teen violence.

Day 2 – Learn about substance abuse issues and drug endangered children from a law enforcement subject matter expert and a presentation by a citizen who will tell the story of her alcoholic family system and how you can help youth in similar situations. Officers will also learn about social media platforms and receive investigation tips from a law enforcement subject matter expert. A youth citizen will join and will tell her story of how social media platforms play a significant role in youth traumas including mental health issues, substance abuse and other traumatic events.

Methods of Instruction for the School Resource Officer (SRO) is a two-day class designed to give the SRO the basic skills needed to instruct “mini-lessons” within their assigned schools. The SRO is a valuable member of the school system. They can increase their impact within the school by instructing in the classroom setting. The SRO can be utilized to instruct on current issues affecting the school’s population i.e. bullying, cyber-bullying, conflict resolution, or even by offering an introduction to law enforcement. As an SRO in the classroom you will develop a connection with the student body and staff that will improve the working relationship within your respective school.

The class will consist of two (8) hour days of instruction. Day One will be geared towards the understanding of classroom instruction in a school setting. The SRO will learn about the different learning styles, motivation/psychology of the learner, methods of engaging the student, and the general basics of interacting with school-aged students. Day Two will be focused on creating goals and objectives for instruction followed by a lesson plan outline of activities. The SRO will learn concepts for creating interactive learning opportunities and how to assess for understanding.

At the conclusion of the course the SRO will have a working knowledge of how develop a short (45-60 min) block of instruction for an elementary, middle, or high school setting. Please bring a laptop computer with MS Word (required) and MS PowerPoint (optional).