If you are the parent of a child in any of Wauwatosa's secondary schools you most likely received a notice regarding a survey being conducted as it relates to the School Resource Officer program. Officer Douglas Braun, the City's first SRO, has been receiving several questions about the program and as such has asked me to post some information to better inform the public regarding the School Resource Officer. 

School Resource Officer Program

The School Resource Officer (SRO) Program was initiated in September 2005. The SRO is assigned to the Community Support Division and serves under the direct supervision of the Community Support Sergeant, Sergeant Jeffery Farina. The SRO is a uniformed position and assigned to the Secondary Schools during the day from Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 3:30pm.

A second SRO was added in January 2007 enabling and SRO to be assigned to each High School. Each SRO is also responsible for responding to the Middle and Elementary Schools when needed and available. The Current SRO's are Officer Doug Braun at West H.S. and Officer Jeff Griffin at East H.S.

The overall scope of the responsibilities of the SRO is basically unlimited. Specific duties of a SRO officer are, at this time, expected to include the following responsibilities:

• Promote rapport between Police Officers and students in the secondary schools.
• Work to protect the school, staff and students from crime and violence.
• Serve as immediate resource for staff and students.
• Conduct criminal and quasi-criminal investigation that occur during the day and that would have normally necessitated the dispatching of a Patrol Officer.
• Handle follow up investigations of crimes other issues.
• Make arrests of students when appropriate.
• Coordinate SRO efforts with the Detective Bureau fo the Wauwatosa Police Department.
• Promote a working relationship with other police-student resources in the Wauwatosa School District.
• Make presentations to students, parents and staff members on law, law enforcement, safety issues and good citizenship.
• Refer troubled students to proper professional resources within the guidelines of school policies as needed.
• Work with parents of runaway students.
• Counsel students who are established juvenile offenders.
• Coordinate the Crime Stopper Program in the secondary schools.
• Attend various school functions as deemed necessary such as secondary graduations, proms, dances, certain athletic events, etc.
• Meet periodically with the school district administration to discuss and evaluate the SRO program.

From January to June and September to December of 2007 the School Resource Officers responded to over 330 calls for police service. The calls included child abuse, battery, robbery, disorderly conduct, theft, possession of controlled substances, intoxicated juveniles, possesion of tobacco products, warrants, missing juveniles, threats, vandalism and truancy.

The SRO's also made over 100 presentations to students, staff and parents on such topics as personal safety, drug and alcohol awareness, internets safety, bullying, conflict resolution, juvenile law, and legal consequences. Officer Braun is also a staff advisor  for the Wauwatosa West H.S. Key Club and Officer Griffin is involved in a mentoring program for juveniles.