The School Resource Officer Division is a collaborative effort by the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, Berkeley County School District, Berkeley Charter Education Association, educators, students, parents, and the community to offer law related education programs in the schools to reduce crime, drug abuse, violence, and provide a safe school environment. Additionally, our deputies routinely accompany school groups as they travel to athletic and field trips.
The Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer Division places deputy sheriffs in all unincorporated schools full-time to provide a variety of support programs and services to students and staff. The overall goals of the division are to maintain a safe and secure learning environment on the school campus, influence the development of positive attitudes by youth towards the law enforcement community, and to reduce juvenile crime using intervention strategies, proactive policing, and networking.
This is done by using a three-stage approach called the triad concept:
The School Resource Officers are state certified law enforcement officers who serve as deputies for the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office. The SRO’s are required to complete a comprehensive SRO training program. These deputies enforce all local and state laws and are at the school to maintain a safe and secure learning environment.
Once in their assigned school, the SRO’s function is to serve as a positive role model for the students. This is accomplished through daily interaction with students. The SRO will teach courses on topics such as law related education, conflict resolution, internet safety, and peer pressure.
As a counselor, the SRO serves as a resource to the students, their parents, and the school faculty. Students will often first approach them with personal, scholastic, family, or law-related problems. By networking and developing response checklists, the SRO is prepared to refer persons in need to appropriate agencies that can assist them. This is the most dynamic aspect of the SRO’s assignment (being an active listener).
There are currently 36 deputies assigned to the division to include a captain, lieutenant and 3 sergeants. Division supervisors work closely with the assigned deputies and the schools to ensure all campuses are safe and secure. During the 2022-2023 school year, deputies investigated 524 incidents involving the schools they are assigned to and recovered 7 firearms from school campuses.
To learn more about becoming a Berkeley County Deputy Sheriff and serving in a school, please visit our Join Us page.