School Resource Officer Program (Details)

Name of province/ territory:

Ontario

City/ Region:

Toronto

Description of Initiative:

The School Resource Officer (SRO) program is a partnership between the Toronto Distrct School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, and the Toronto Police Service (TPS). SROs work in partnership with students, teachers, school administrators, school boards, parents, other police officers and the community to establish and maintain a healthy and safe school community.

Initiative Key Objectives:

The program has several objectives:

  • improve safety, real and perceived, in and around public schools;
  • improve the perception of the police amongst youth in the community; and
  • improve the relationship between students and police.

Section Responsible for Implementation:

Divisional Policing Support Unit—Youth Programs

Key Contact:

Ronald Khan
ronald.khan@torontopolice.on.ca

Groups/ Agencies/ Key Partners Involved:

  • academic institutes (research and evaluation)

Level of Involvement (consultative - information sharing) and/or cooperative - direct involvement):

The partnership with the school boards is a cooperative relationship.

Amount of Time Initiative has been in Place:

This initiative started in 2008.

Reason for Undertaking the Initiative:

As a part of the overarching Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy, the TPS identified an opportunity to connect with youth in the schools. The TPS was able to utilize provincial grant funding aimed at addressing ncreased gun violence in the city of Toronto.

Resources Required to Implement this Initiative:

Set-up involved only soft costs. Most if not all schools provided office space, a desk and often a telephone line and/or Internet connection.

Method of Implementation:

In early 2008, Chief William Blair approached the school boards about implementing a School Resource Officer program in schools. Provincial funding permitted 30 officers to be assigned to 30 Toronto high schools. The schools were selected by the school boards and only those schools willing to participate saw inclusion in the program.

Key Outcomes of the Initiative:

Two evaluations of the program have been completed, in 2009 and 2011.

The evaluations suggest that the SROs had an overall positive effect in schools, and in particular a positive effect on students who talked to, and felt comforatable talking to, their SRO.

The program has met its key objectives and continues to make improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness through continued communications and training between TPS and the school boards.

Availability of a Communication Strategy:

No

Key Messages used to Publicize the Initiative:

In the absence of a communications strategy, the individual schools chose to communicate the presence of police to students and families in their own formats.

Forms of Evaluation by which the Initiative will be Assessed:

  • other: The school boards conducted surveys and analysis of the program with cooperation from TPS and school administrators.

Evaluation Completed or Community Feedback Received:

Yes

Summary of the Outcomes:

The SRO program continues to show positive results, particularly in the inceased willingness of students to report crime when they have interacted informally with the officer and in the decrease in weapons offences in and around schools.

The program shows the potential to be increasingly beneficial in crime prevention/reporting and relationship building, especially beween police and students, and in helping to keep weapons away from schools.

Summary of the Performance Measure Data Collected:

N/A

Economics of Policing Pillars:

Further Details:

When this program was first presented, it was a new initiative that was implemented to address several serious issues that were affecting schools, and students' perceptions of police.

Additional Comments or Suggestions:

For further information please contact Divisional Policing Support Unit- S/Sgt. Ronald Khan or PC Jennifer Nantais. A full copy of the evaluation can be provided if required for further detail.

Record Entry Date:

2013-08-01

Date modified: