For Immediate Release     
Date: 1/9/2024

Chairman Don Wagner and Orange County Board of Supervisors Approve Agreement for Sheriff’s Department School Resource Officers

(Santa Ana, CA) –Chairman Don Wagner and the Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted in favor of implementing a School Resource Officers (SRO) agreement with the Orange County Sheriff's Department and participating school districts in Orange County. This pivotal decision underscores the commitment to bolstering student safety and security in the face of growing concerns about campus violence.

Chairman Don Wagner praised the agreement, emphasizing the paramount importance of safeguarding students in today's uncertain times.

 "The protection of our students on campuses from violence is of utmost importance," stated Chairman Wagner. "This collaboration between the Sheriff's Department and our school districts furthers our mutual goal of ensuring a secure learning environment for our youth."

The Sheriff and the districts have developed the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program to partner and provide school administrators with law enforcement resources and expertise to aid the districts in maintaining safety and order in the school environment. The SRO Program is intended to assist schools in ensuring that no student's right to receive an education is abridged by violence or criminal disruption. The SRO Program involves the assignment of a deputy sheriff, as an SRO, to a public school environment to ensure the safety of students.

Among other responsibilities, SROs are also responsible for handling calls for service, coordinating the response of other law enforcement resources as necessary, patrolling the school campus, providing law enforcement-related training to school administrators as necessary, monitoring the social and cultural environment to identify emerging youth gangs, participating in fire drills and lock-down drills and critical incident management strategies, disposing of illegal substances recovered by District, and assisting with security at school-sanctioned events.

The approved agreement between the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and participating school districts aims to define clear roles and responsibilities for school resource officers, fostering an effective partnership to uphold safety and order within school environments.

To learn more about the Third District office, please visit donwagnerca.com and follow him on social media @donwagnerca for the latest updates.

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