There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to protecting your school’s campus. Depending on the unique needs and setup of your community, armed officers, unarmed officers, or a School Resource Officer (SRO) may be the most effective school security solution. This article focuses on SROs, and more specifically, what equipment you should provide in order to set them up for success.
An SRO is both a key member of your community, and a representative of local law enforcement. This dual role brings with it a necessary emphasis on communication. In their daily responsibilities, SROs will need a school portable radio on which they are able to communicate with all relevant parties in your community. This might include specific teams like facilities or administration, but also specific areas on campus like the gymnasium or main entrance. Additionally, an SRO that is set up for success has a clear line of communication with their local police station, whether that is a separate radio or direct phone.
An SRO will be called upon to respond to all sorts of events. While they may not be the person on your campus with the most medical knowledge, they will certainly be a first responder to any event that requires medical care or attention. For this reason, we recommend that SROs are equipped with a first aid kit and a portable defibrillator.
The role of an SRO is complicated. At times, they are an educator and counselor. At times, they are an authority figure. It is certainly easier to come up with equipment that is used in discipline than the alternative. At the same time, the SRO’s counseling and support role is just as important as their authoritative one. With that in mind, we recommend that SROs carry bottled water. Water is obviously a useful supply in a variety of scenarios, but offering water to someone can also be something that lowers the tension of a situation. More broadly, SROs need to be equipped with the tools to de-escalate a situation. Water might be one example of that, but so is the presence of mind to separate individuals when having a conversation about what is going on in a dispute. Ensuring that SROs are prepared to de-escalate a situation whenever possible will keep your community safer and more together.
Finally, as sworn police officers, SRO standard equipment likely includes a firearm as well as any additional tools of law enforcement that are standard issue for the police department (this may include handcuffs or a baton, for example). In terms of high-level equipment that might be specific to the needs of your school, it may be useful for an SRO to carry some sort of breaching equipment. In the case of a damaged building or serious emergency, a sledge hammer, crow bar, or bolt cutter may be of value. Our recommendation would be to have the SRO in charge of these tools and their usage.
Once again, every community is different and has unique needs. The best safety resource that you have is your people, so rely on their knowledge and feedback in determining what solutions are best for your campus! For your easy perusal, here is a bulleted (and non-definitive!) list of our recommendations for SRO equipment.
- School-portable radio for internal communications
- First Aid Kit
- Portable Defibrillator
- Radio or phone connected to local law enforcement office
- Firearm and other tools of law enforcement
- Bottled Water
- Tools of De-escalation (listening, acknowledgement of the person and their words, empathy, clarity in communication)
- A “breaching” tool for accessing damaged rooms or inaccessible areas on campus
