Information on School Emergency Response and Crisis Management Grants

Information on school emergency response and crisis management grants can be found by clicking here.

New Online: Truancy Reduction Program Tool Kit

OJJDP is offering an online resource for communities interested in instituting a truancy reduction program. The Tool Kit for Creating Your Own Truancy Reduction Program provides comprehensive information and resources to guide communities, schools, and parents in addressing the problem of truancy. Print copies are also available (NCJ 217271).

Incident Commander: A Training Simulation for Public Safety Personnel

This CD-ROM provides simulation training for public safety incident commanders in developing incident action plans and implementing them in various crisis scenarios through resource allocation and the assignment of tasks. The training can be done alone or with multiple players up to 16. Each participating player can choose to control squads from one or more agencies; take control of one or more incident command sections; or be an observer. After a tutorial on how to manage an emergency-response scenario through the provided software and computer tools, crisis scenarios are addressed from the perspective of the Incident Commander System, either alone or as a team. The scenarios portrayed are a school hostage situation, a courthouse bomb threat, a chemical spill, and a severe storm. Each scenario offers different challenges to the players. In some situations, law enforcement is the emphasis. In others, fire-fighting is the greatest challenge. Others may confront players with downed power lines, water-main breaks, noxious chemicals, and the media. Recognizing which threats are greatest and dealing with them by effective use of the Incident Command System and effective deployment of responders are the keys to success and a high score in the training. Crisis scenarios are managed through detailed maps displayed on the computer screen. The maps include icons that can be selected and moved to perform selected tasks at various locations on the map. Click here for more information.

The S.R.O. Electronic User Group

How many times have you had to get some information in a timely manner about a new drug, new gang, unusual behavior or other SRO-related material? If the answer is more then once, then the SRO E-group is a valuable resource to do so. This E-group is an online e-mail list that keeps Indiana SRO's informed via e-mail of new trends, activities and Consortium news.

If you need information on any particular subject matter, from drugs and gangs to effective programs and classroom material, send an e-mail to sro.indiana@usdoj.gov. Your questions or comments will be redirected to all participating E-group SRO's throughout the state. If you have taken photographs of material you would like more information on (such as gang graffiti or clothing, etc), you may also attach these files to your e-mail inquiry. The E-group is now enabled.

"The Monitor"

The School Resource Officer Consortium of Indiana publishes a quarterly newsletter pertaining to regional school news, officer safety, youth gangs, SRO training and much more. "The Monitor" focuses on the Northern District of Indiana and is available in hard copy to Indiana school resource officers. If you would like to receive future or past editions of "The Monitor," please contact the L.E.C.C. program at (219) 937-5500.

"The Monitor" is now also available online by clicking below.

Featured Programs

What a School Resource Officer Program Is

A School Resource Officer (SRO) program places law enforcement officers in schools with the goal of creating and maintaining safe, secure, and orderly learning environments for students, teachers, and staff. With such a program, the officer represents much more than "the cop in the shop." An SRO program reflects a community's desire to ensure that its schools are safe, secure, and orderly. SROs represent a proactive strategy designed to bring prevention and intervention into the schools.

What School Resource Officers Are

SROs are valuable resources for their schools. They are trained to fulfill three roles: they first and foremost are law enforcement officers whose primary purpose is to "keep the peace" in their schools so that students can learn and teachers can teach; secondly they are law-related counselors who provide guidance on law-related issues to students and act as a link to support services both inside and outside the school environment; and thirdly they are law-related education teachers who provide schools with an additional educational resource by sharing their expertise in the classroom. Beyond these identified roles and, perhaps most importantly, SROs are positive role models for many students who are not exposed to such role models in today's society. Their presence in the schools sends a strong message that violence is not acceptable.

How SRO Programs Are Conducted

School systems and law enforcement agencies typically work collaboratively to carry out SRO programs. On a daily basis, the program depends on the working relationships which exist between the SROs and school principals. By sharing a common vision that schools must be safe and secure for learning to take place, the SROs and principals become members of a team united in making sure that learning environments are free of fear and conducive to learning.

The "Promise" of an SRO Program

An SRO program is a "promising" strategy because it enables communities and schools to address school violence with both prevention and intervention techniques. Having an SRO on a school campus can prevent problems from happening. It can enhance a school's capacity to address its safety and security concerns. When problems do arise, SROs can intervene quickly to address what is taking place. SROs can contribute to safe school planning efforts and offer their schools a resource to turn to when emergencies occur. Ultimately, the presence of an SRO assists in making the school safer and more secure for students, teachers, and staff. The entire community benefits as well because learning is more likely to take place in such an environment.