From left to right W. Miller #141, T. Goldsworthy #119, and P.Bowen #102

Email Addresses

Tom Goldsworthy
tgoldsworthy@biloxi.ms.us

Chris Deback
cdeback@biloxi.ms.us

Patrick Bowen
pbowen@biloxi.ms.us

Jodi Anderson
janderson@biloxi.ms.us

Spurgeon Crosby
scrosby@biloxi.ms.us

Wayne Miller
wmiller@biloxi.ms.us.

What is a School Resource Officer?

The School Resource Officer (SRO) program is the next step in Community Oriented Policing (COP). The SRO is an asset used by the community and the school in an attempt to address situations in the lives of students in a forum other than the judicial system.

The SRO program is designed to put a uniformed police officer in the school setting with the following goals:

• Providing students, faculty and staff the opportunity to meet and interact with a police officer in a non-confrontational setting. Many people, especially our young people, do not often get the chance to learn about who the officers are, "behind the badge". This program provides the opportunity for the officer to serve as a role model as well as a resource and a mentor to students who have questions or needs that the officer can assist with.
• To act as a deterrent to crime in the school building, on the school campus, and in the community surrounding the school not only through the uniformed presence, but also by developing positive relationships with students, faculty and staff, and community members.
• To provide classroom instruction and other information to students, faculty and staff concerning the law, personal rights and responsibilities, and other law-enforcement related topics.
• To provide for the safety and security of the school's students, faculty, staff and visitors.

The officer, while in school, is involved in a variety of functions aimed at prevention. Besides being an active high profile law enforcement officer, the SRO is a resource for students, parents, teachers and administration regarding law issues. Working hand in hand with the Principal in each school, the SRO assists with finding solutions to problems affecting school age children of the future. The SRO program is a proactive approach to deal with the pressures today's young people find themselves having to confront. This includes the use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, along with peer pressure, gang activity, and sex. Children affected by substance abuse or gang activity in the community will be carrying that into the school, which in turn affects other students, educators, and administrators. The presence of the SRO on campus provides for a faster police response to incidents requiring police involvement, such as emergencies, criminal investigations and, when necessary, arrests, When such incidents occur, the SRO will also be better prepared to deal with them based on his or her familiarity with the school community and its daily operations.