SRO Program History

Program History

Information about the history of the SRO program was obtained through an interview with leadership from the Acton Police Department.  

It is understood that the SRO program at A-B has its roots in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) Program originally instituted with federal funding in the 1980s.  The goal of that program was to provide “police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.”1   The program was active in the community through the 1980s and 1990s.  

In the early 2000s and in response to the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, the Acton Police added a second officer to the program to help cover school events during extended hours.  Officers also received training through the National Association of School Resource Officers.  In 2004, a third resource officer was added to the District.  

Until approximately 2008, the school district contributed some funding for the resource officer program, but the town assumed full funding responsibility for the program and continues to do so today.

In 2012, the program changed its focus from D.A.R.E. (which focused solely on drugs and alcohol) to the i-Safe program which incorporated aspects of internet safety at the elementary schools and digital citizenship at the junior high school.  Through the program, school resource officers have partnered with school staff to offer opportunities for students including:

• Periodic bicycle safety classes for elementary school students

• A 6-part i-Safe class for all 6th grade students focused on drugs, alcohol, decision-making, and peer pressure.

• 7th Grade Digital Literacy - this program focuses on social media and the appropriate use of technology.  The program is offered 1X during the school year to all 7th grade students enrolled in the class.

• 9th Grade Teen Dating Class - this program is offered to all 9th grade students through their Health and Physical Education class and is run in partnership with the Domestic Violence Services Network.  

• Partnership with the high school “You and the Law” teacher to provide information to students about their Fourth Amendment Rights. 

• ALICE (lockdown) Training for staff at all levels and coordination of ALICE drills at each school.

Leadership from the Acton Police also noted other aspects of the roles that the SROs fulfill including:

• Assisting with school avoidance cases, including providing rides to school for students who could not get there.

• Assisting high school school administrators in locating incidents on surveillance video.

• Helping to develop student-specific safety plans for instances where a referral was required to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) when specific circumstances necessitate a plan.

• Conducting night and weekend well-checks for students and families in crisis.

Students are referred to SROs on both a formal (by the school) and informal (self or school referral) basis as noted below:

Formal Referrals by the School

When a school counselor or administrator contacts the police due to an incident that requires police investigation including:

• Sexual Assault

• Sexting/ Pornography

• Felony-level Theft

• Child Abuse/ Neglect

• Threats to students/staff

• Weapons on School Property

• Bomb Threats

• Distribution/Dealing of Controlled Substances (including taking evidence of drugs in school)

• Hate Crimes

• Informal Referrals by Students

Informal Referrals by the School

When an SRO is involved with a student because they either self refer (find the officer in school) or request contact with an SRO through school staff including:

• Concerns about peer substance abuse

• Student reports of safety issues with weapons

• Student reports of sexual assault or domestic violence

• Reporting a theft or vandalism

For instances of student behavior that is referred to the SROs that is of a non-criminal nature, police leadership indicates that the preferred method to resolve referrals is through follow-up communication with families.  For instances in which the student behavior meets the criteria for a criminal complaint, the preferred method of resolution (estimated at 90% of cases) is through the use of Restorative Justice.  Since 2008 when the Acton Police began using a Restorative Justice approach to resolving student complaints, leadership estimates that more than 300 cases have been referred and resolved through this method and that the department is committed to actively trying to eliminate the school to prison pipeline.

Leadership estimated that fewer than 10% of all referrals (formal or informal) to SROs result in criminal referral through the courts.  Most often, these criminal referrals fall into three broad categories:

• Incidents of Sexual Assault

• Violent Crimes

• Cases where a parent exercises a victim’s right to pursue a criminal complaint