City Manager's Office - 102 North Neil Street, Champaign, IL= =20 61820 - (217) 403-8710 - fax (217) 403-8980

Police Department•82 E. Uni= versity Avenue•Champaign IL 61820•(217) 403-6911•fax (217) 403-6924•www.ci.champaign.il.us

CHAMPAIGN POLICE DEPARTMENT SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. = What is a = School Resource Officer? A School Resource Officer (called SRO) is a trained police officer that has completed probationary status and applied to be an SRO in a school-based setting. Probationary status = is the time an officer is in training/evaluation with the department before becomi= ng a permanent officer.

2. = What train= ing does a School Resource Officer have? An SRO starts by attending the Police Academy for over 400 hours of training before coming to the Department. This is followed by approximately = 19 weeks of training under a Field Training Officer. The SRO then must complete his/her probationary time of approximately 15 months successfully. SROs attend a one-week certified S= RO training course and a one-week juvenile officer certification course. Many SROs have received additional training as Child Forensic Interviewers and Crisis Intervention Team member= s.

3. = What does = an SRO do in the school during the day? The SRO serves a variety of functions. The school is the officer’s “beat” and he/she patrols it on foot like he/she would any area= of town he/she was assigned to. The officer teaches law- related t= opics to students in conjunction with the classroom teacher. Topics can vary, including the law, drugs, search and seizure, gun safety, motor vehicle saf= ety or most topics about which an officer is familiar. The SRO can function as an informal law-related counselor trying to work with kids to keep them out of trouble = or from getting into more trouble. The SRO is a trained police officer in the = school to protect the staff and students and enforce criminal laws. The SRO may make an arrest when appropriate and conducts criminal investigations of offenses that occur at = the school or involve students or staff. = The SRO may also attend disciplinary meetings, sporting events, and other functions the school will have.

4. = What does = an SRO do when there is no school? The SRO may meet with staff at school or work on paperwork at the school. The SROs also have collateral duti= es at the Department and may go to the Police Department to work. They monitor station adjustments (a kin= d of informal probation), give building tours, attend community events, visit the Boys and Girls Club, do runaway and missing person investigations, and other duties as assigned. The SROs = also staff and run events such as Youth Police Academy, Police Day, and Shop With a Cop, along with athletic competitions with the = park district.

5. = Is an SRO a part of the school staff?= No. The SRO works for the Police Department. They work very closely with school= staff but do not enforce school rules. They may, however, assist staff members in keeping the students and staff safe. The SRO is not to= be viewed as another administrator on the campus and does not assume similar duties. It is the responsibility of the school administration to respond and handle student behavior situations that may occur on campus, unless deemed necessary by the administration that assistance is needed.

6. = What happe= ns if the SRO is not there? Sch= ool staff will continue to determine if police presence is needed. If the SRO is busy or not working,= the staff will contact the police department and an officer will be sent.

7. Can parents or community members spea= k to the SRO? Yes.

= Contacting the school by phone is the easiest way to get in touch with the SRO. They will call you back as soon as possible, as they do not have normal “office hours.” Typically, they are at the school on school days when the students are in school but may have to leave occasiona= lly to fulfill duties such as teaching or assisting other schools.

8. &n= bsp; Does the SRO have arrest authority? Yes. He/she is primarily a law

         = enforcement official responsible for ensuring the safety of students and other citizens= .

9.      =       What shoul= d I do if I have concerns about the actions of an SRO?

         = A parent or student should first make contact with the building principal. The principal or school administra= tion designee will then meet with the SRO and his/her supervisor to discuss conc= erns and take corrective action if necessary.&n= bsp; A parent or student can always contact the police department to speak with the SROs supervisor.

10.&= nbsp;       Wha= t are the situations that a SRO can interview or talk to my child? The SRO may talk to a student in s= everal situations. They may have a voluntary contact with any student. They can have friendly conversation with any student the way any oth= er staff member might have. The = SRO may have contact with the student as a victim or witness. The SRO may even have contact with= a student as a suspect in a crime. When speaking to students in any setting, other than voluntary conta= ct, the school principal or school administration designee will be contacted an= d a reasonable attempt will be made to contact the parent/guardian prior to the interview. If parents, when contacted, request a delay in the interview, every effort wil= l be made to accommodate parental wishes. Unless they are in custody, the student will be advised that = they do not have to speak to the SRO and are free to leave at anytime. If the student is in custody and n= ot free to leave, Miranda rights will be read to the student. If the= student wishes to remain silent or to speak to his or her parents or an attorney, questioning should not commence or cease and the contact will be terminated= .