ALLEN CO., Ind. (ADAMS) – Allen County school resource officers are being honored nationally.
They have received an award from the National Association of School Resource Officers for being a National Model Agency. The county sheriff’s office was given the award last week in Indianapolis.
Agencies that receive a Model Agency award exemplify the NASRO model of dividing responsibilities into three areas, with those being teacher, informal counselor, and law enforcement officer.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Department released the following:
On Friday June 30, 2023, the Allen County Sheriff’s Department received an award from NASRO, the National Association of School Resource Officers. The award was presented at the kickoff ceremony for the NASRO National Conference, being held at the J.W. Marriott in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Department received the Model Agency award from NASRO. Model Agency awards are presented to agencies that exemplify the NASRO Triad model, which divides the School Resource Officer responsibilities into three areas: teacher, informal counselor, and law enforcement officer. The Model Agency must also have exemplary records in training, policies, and standards. These practices ensure professional service to the school community. Members of the Sheriff’s Department said they were extremely honored to be recognized for such a prestigious award from NASRO.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Department currently has 14 full-time School Resource Officers and two supervisors, dedicating a total of 16 Sworn Officers to daily school safety. Their SRO program began in 2004. They implemented an SRO K9 program in 2006, putting K9 partners with some of the SRO’s.
The Sheriff’s Department currently serves Southwest Allen County Schools, East Allen County Schools, Northwest Allen County Schools and Canterbury Schools.
The Sheriff’s Department has members serving on the Allen County School Safety Commission. They also have a Bike Patrol Program, primarily operated by School Resource Officers in the summer. Many of the SRO’s have specialty training, including the School Safety Specialist Certification, through the Indiana Department of Education. All of the Sheriff’s Department’s SRO’s have completed the NASRO Basic Course for School Resource Officers. Many have completed the Advanced SRO Courses through NASRO as well.
The SRO’s will return to summer duty before starting back to school in early August.
