Promoting a Safe Environment by Getting the Most out of Your Resource Officer
Deputy Andrew Davis Alachua County Sheriff’s Office You have just been issued a brand new School Resource Officer, Resource Deputy, or Security Specialist. What do you do now? The concept of school policing and resource officers has been around since the 1960s. However, in Florida, not every school has been afforded the luxury of having an armed security presence on campus. After the Parkland School shooting tragedy, the implementation of the Stoneman Douglas Act and Senate Bill 7026 in Florida has driven a magnitude of changes and a variety of school safety efforts are in place or underway. The Office of Safe Schools, formed and based in Tallahassee, holds the responsibility for maintaining oversight of safety training events, school safety assessments, and active threat drills for all public schools in Florida. Assuming your school’s security solution includes a School Resource Officer, let’s discuss the different ways you can maximize the skills and knowle...