School Resource Officer (SRO)

Officer Jones
Officer Jones (SRO)
During the early 2000’s the Chino Valley Police Department was fortunate enough to have 3 School Resource Officers, with one assigned to the high school, one to middle School and one for the two elementary schools. The officer’s duties included teaching DARE, Eddie Eagle and various law enforcement related classes, in addition to performing law enforcement duties on the campuses.

A few years later as the economy began to take its toll on the Town’s finances, the program was reduced to one officer who was paid under a federal grant administered by the school district. Eventually this position was also eliminated as the school district chose to fill the position with a Juvenile Probation Officer. Unfortunately, several years passed with no Police Officer assigned to the schools.

Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, through creative scheduling and reallocation of manpower, the Department has been able to return one officer to the SRO function. This officer is assigned primarily to the middle school although they respond to the other schools regarding criminal complaints. The officer’s two primary functions are to deter crime by being a visible presence and spending time interacting with students and staff to help promote a mutual trust. The school district does employ a Security Officer who is assigned to the high school. He is a retired police officer and current volunteer with the Chino Valley Police Department, which allows him to utilize department resources during the course of his duties.

The department is currently looking to expand our partnership with the school district and plans on utilizing our trained Civilian Officers to bring more programs and services to the schools, especially substance abuse education.