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School resource officer expands criminology class, launches cadet pilot and outlines summer coverage
Summary
Dallas’s school resource officer detailed outreach and law‑enforcement duties at five schools, a criminology class offering college credit through Chemeketa, and a new cadet program; funding is split 50/50 with the school district for nine months of the year.
The city’s School Resource Officer (SRO) told the committee he covers five primary schools — three elementary schools, the middle school and the high school — and that most of his time is focused on community outreach rather than investigations.
Why it matters: The SRO program is intended to foster positive relationships between students and police, provide career pathways through a new criminology course with college credit, and create a local cadet pipeline that could feed future recruits.
Program details
- Role and emphasis: The SRO said roughly 15–20% of the assignment is law enforcement work; the remainder is community relations, prevention and school programming. "The little ones give you hugs, and the bigger ones come up and just wanna talk," the SRO said, describing student interactions.
- Criminology course: The SRO developed a criminology course through the school district’s career technical education program that offers college credit through Chemeketa Community College and high school credit. Enrollment was 27 students last semester and remains 27 this semester.
- Cadet program: The city has completed a background on the first cadet candidate and will fit the cadet for a uniform; staff plan a small initial cohort (up to six) to ensure adequate supervision. The cadet program will run year‑round and is intended as a gateway to careers in law enforcement.
- Funding and summer coverage: The SRO position is jointly funded by the city and the school district for nine months of the school year on a 50/50 split; the city funds the position fully during the summer months when schools are not in session. The SRO said during summer he supplements patrol duties while cadet training continues.
Succession and continuity
Committee members asked about succession planning; staff said other officers have received SRO training and the department maintains readiness to fill the position if the current SRO leaves.
What’s next
Staff will continue criminology instruction, onboard the first cadet candidate and evaluate the cadet program for potential expansion. The committee discussed exploring additional funding if the city budget allows expanding the SRO presence in future years.
