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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 resource officer here in your campus was flagged down in reference to a student that was experiencing a mental‑health crisis… the information was relayed that a student had access to a firearm. And within 3 minutes of the school resource officer being flagged out, they identified the student, and they took them into custody." He said deputies coordinated with the district crisis‑intervention team and recovered the firearm.
Board and administrative discussion centered on costs. Dr. Segovia said the district is facing a deficit and is "exploring every program to include the SRO program." He noted the county contract is a five‑year continuous contract signed three years ago and that administrators will meet with Sergeant Acuna and sheriff's office leadership to identify options that could preserve services while improving fiscal sustainability. "We still need to meet with Sergeant Acuna to see what we can do," Segovia said.
Trustees emphasized safety as the top priority while acknowledging the need for fiscal responsibility. Several board members suggested options such as keeping SROs at the campuses that need them most, alternating assignments so a single officer covers two nearby campuses, seeking grants (a security grant opening in December was mentioned), and studying whether some duties could be reconfigured.
Why it matters: SRO programs are a visible district safety investment. The board signaled it will consider reductions or restructuring only after additional administrative review, conversations with the sheriff’s office, and exploration of grants or alternative contracting.
Next steps: administrators will meet with the sheriff’s office and return options to the board for consideration; any reduction would require board approval.
