The goal of the School Resource Officer (SRO) program is to bridge the gap between students, schools and police by becoming a liaison when problems arise. SROs are working to build relationships with the students they serve in a variety of ways. Starting in the 2019-2020 school year SROs are working more hours outside of the regular school day at school activities to continue building strong bonds with students and families. The trust is evident in the growing number of positive contacts SROs have with students, staff and families.
Both Officer Price and Lauenstein maintain certification as School Resource Officers through the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) which uses the “triad” approach with the responsibilities being a Teacher, Informal Counselor, and Law Enforcement Officer. Safety is at the forefront of SRO responsibilities, and they work closely with Beatrice Public School administration to be on the leading edge of current best practices. This includes the Threat Assessment Teams, anonymous reporting, training staff and students in Standard Response Protocol, as well as making it available to the public.
Beatrice Police Department has renewed its agreement with Beatrice Public Schools to keep two SROs in the schools. Officer Price is in his 4th year, and Lauenstein is in his 9th serving the schools. Both have logged a combined total of 586 calls for service in the police records system, and 434 logged school contacts. Of the 352 contacts at Beatrice High School thirteen (3.7%) resulted in citations, and only one of those was a special education student. We believe this shows that SROs work hard to identify creative ways to address situations to prevent students, and especially special education students from entering the criminal justice system when possible. Arrest numbers have increased this year with increased threats and harassment, but one student accounted for four (30.7%) of those.
Both are members of their respective school’s Hope Squad and various other duties that help with prevention. The public has noted concerns with bus stop arm violations, and Officer Price has been making efforts to patrol those areas, and educate drivers in order to increase safety for our bussing students. Officer Lauenstein has been nominated and confirmed by the Nebraska Supreme Court to be on the Restorative Justice Advisory Council to help guide prevention efforts. At the Beatrice High School over 27% of all documented contacts are with students requiring some form of special education, while that number is in excess of 52% at Beatrice Middle School. These contacts show that SROs have more contact with that population of students, however they rarely result in a referral to the criminal justice system, and only in serious cases.
The SRO program continues in its 21st year to be a great benefit to the Beatrice Public School District, as well as the Beatrice Police Department. It is our goal to continue to be a great resource for all staff, students and families at the Beatrice Public Schools, and continue to further develop the program to its full potential.
Officer Zac Lauenstein #305 SRO- Beatrice High School
Officer Tim Price #325 SRO- Beatrice Middle School & Elementary Schools
