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El Paso County sergeant defends SRO program as trustees weigh possible reductions
Summary
Sergeant Acuna described SRO duties — mentorship, mental-health response and summer credit‑recovery — and recounted a recent firearm intervention. Trustees acknowledged the program's value but said fiscal pressures require exploring reductions or alternative contracts.
Sergeant Acuna of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office told the Fabens ISD board on Oct. 15 that school resource officers (SROs) do far more than provide a law‑enforcement presence: he called them mentors, summer credit‑recovery leaders and mental‑health first responders.
"They're not there solely for law enforcement presence. They're mentors," Sergeant Acuna said. He described specialized school‑based training for SROs and the mental‑health peace‑officer certification many SROs have completed.
Acuna recounted a recent on‑campus incident: "Less than a month ago, our school…
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