School Resource Officers, 2019–2020

• NCJ Number: 307334
• Author(s): Elizabeth Davis
• Date Published: November 2023
• Length: 27 pages
• Publication Series: BJS Bulletins
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Publication; Statistics

Abstract

This report provides details on demographics and certification of school resource officers (SROs) by the type of law enforcement agency that employs them. It also describes law enforcement, mentoring, and teaching activities performed by the officers. The report discusses equipment typically carried and training received by the officers.

Highlights:

• There were approximately 23,400 sworn SROs at the end of the 2019–2020 school year.
• About 69% of sworn SROs had responded to an incident in a classroom within the past 30 days.
• During the 2019–2020 school year, about 10% of sworn SROs spoke a language other than English that they found useful when interacting with students.
• Nearly 17% of sworn SROs reported that the school administration reviewed arrest-eligible offenses or that the SRO worked collaboratively with the administration prior to making an arrest decision during the 2019–2020 school year.