Sheriff's Office describes SRO and K9 school scans; joint committee approves MOU discussion for November meeting

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office on Sept. 15 described its school resource officer program, K9 scans in high schools and community drug-disposal efforts, and the committee voted to add a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between LCPS and the sheriff's office to the Nov. 17 joint-committee meeting.

Lieutenant Colonel Chris Sawyer, who oversees field operations for the sheriff's office, said the agency follows guidance from the National Association of School Resource Officers and treats SROs as educators and mentors as well as public-safety officers. "We follow the National Association of School Resource Officers," Sawyer said, noting SROs spend much of their time on education and counseling rather than enforcement.

The sheriff's office described a K9-scan initiative begun in 2024 that targets all Loudoun County public high schools on a randomized schedule while classes are in session. The office said scans are intended as a deterrent and to prevent overdoses; they are designed to minimize classroom disruption. The presentation identified Labrador retrievers used in the program (Jett, Mia and a Leesburg Police Department canine, Iris) and urged proper drug disposal through county collection boxes and take-back events.

"When we scan schools and we have no detection, then that is a win," Sawyer said, emphasizing prevention rather than enforcement as the primary objective for scans.

Sheriff's office presenters and committee members reviewed juvenile-opioid overdose data showing a spike in 2022–2023 and some subsequent improvements, while acknowledging at least one juvenile fatal overdose this year linked to a potent opioid analog. The sheriff's office provided aggregated context for school incidents: for school year 2024–25, there were 39 students charged with criminal offenses across the district; SROs responded to more than 4,000 calls for service and fewer than 1% of those incidents resulted in criminal charges, the office said.

After the presentations, Co Chair Glass moved — and Supervisor Chakrone seconded — a motion "that the joint board of supervisors and school board committee recommend that the board of supervisors and school board add the Loudoun County Public Schools and Loudoun County Sheriff's Office memorandum of understanding as an item to the joint committee's work plan to be presented at the November 2025 joint committee meeting." The motion was properly seconded, and the committee voted in favor. The clerk recorded that Co Chair Mansfield and Ms. Chernow were absent for the vote and the motion passed with the committee members present.

Committee members asked about community engagement, K9-program transparency and whether the district could receive aggregate data on scans without identifying individual schools or students. The sheriff's office said it does not publish school-level scan results but supplied aggregate figures on school-related criminal charges and calls for service to show the program's context.

The joint-committee action adds a future discussion of the MOU between LCPS and the sheriff's office to the Nov. 17 work plan; the meeting record shows the committee did not alter the MOU at this session.