City of Waukee recently issued the following announcement.
The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) declared Feb. 15 “National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day” and encourages schools and communities across the nation to recognize the accomplishments of their school resource officers (SROs). SROs are full-time law enforcement officers with sworn law enforcement authority, trained in school-based policing and crisis response and assigned by an employing law enforcement agency to work with schools using community-oriented policing concepts.
The City of Waukee thanks the Waukee Police Department's four SROs: Sgt. Hector Arias (left in the main photo), Officer Nick Gilchrist (pictured below), Officer Dace Richardson (right in the main photo) and Officer Corby Robbins (pictured below) for their work with students and staff in the Waukee Community School District.
“Law Enforcement Appreciation Day has existed since 2015, but to our knowledge, no one has ever declared a date to specifically honor SROs nationwide,” said NASRO executive director Mo Canady. “As the only national organization of SROs in the U.S., with more than 4,500 member SROs, it’s appropriate for us to establish a day for that purpose.”
NASRO chose Feb. 15 for National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day because it falls during the traditional academic year and is the birthdate of Archie Hodge, the only NASRO founding member who remains active in the organization. Hodge, of Jackson, Mississippi retired from law enforcement in 2006 after serving as an SRO for 22 years.
In a national proclamation on NASRO’s website, the organization cites SROs for bridging gaps between youth and law enforcement and embracing a triad concept of school policing, serving in informal counseling, education and law enforcement roles to support the students and communities they serve. It also describes SROs as “valuable and essential members of the education community” who “deserve unwavering respect and support from the public in the pursuit of keeping schools and students safe.”
Original source can be found here.
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