School Resource Officers

The Community Services Section currently has eleven certified police officers that serve as School Resource Officers (SROs) for the Chandler Unified School District, Kyrene Unified School District, and Mesa Public Schools. These officers are assigned to Chandler secondary schools for the entire school year. The schools served by these officers include Chandler High, Hamilton High, Basha High, Bogle Junior High, Anderson Junior High, Willis Junior High, San Tan Junior High, Summit Academy, Pueblo Middle School, and Aprende Middle School.  Several of the SRO positions are grant-funded through the Arizona Department of Education. These grant funds are applied for and administered by the school districts. Three positions are in the Chandler Unified School District, two in Kyrene Unified District, and one in Mesa Unified District.

The SROs provide an individual service to the parents, students, and staff of the schools they serve. First, they provide an enforcement presence on campus and take the appropriate police action when needed. Secondly, they serve as a resource to the school’s counseling and attendance staff and are routinely called upon to talk to students and investigate a variety of calls. Most importantly, the officers serve as a classroom resource providing numerous hours of Law-Related Education (LRE) classes covering topics ranging from substance abuse to constitutional law.

All Chandler SROs are members of the Arizona School Resource Officers Association (ASROA) and the National School Resource Officers Association (NASRO), both of which provide training and networking among other SROs from across the state and nation. The Chandler Police Department’s SRO program has been recognized as a “Model School Resource Officer Agency” by the National Association of School Resource Officers.

The SRO utilizes both proactive and reactive community policing methods in dealing with educational institutions. Several of Chandler’s SROs participate in extra-curricular activities at their schools, such as clubs and coaching athletic teams. This enables the SRO to foster positive relationships with both students and staff in order to change the way the public looks at the law enforcement community.

School Resource Officers are also responsible for the facilitation of the Youth Academy and the Wilderness Youth Experience.

Chandler Police Department School Resource Officers