School Resource Officer
St. Clair County Sheriff's Office Deputy Allissa Jones serves as the School Resource Officer serving in three of the district's four public schools. Saddoris serves the Osceola, Lakeland, Roscoe and Appleton City School Districts.
The program is designed to put a uniformed police officer in the school setting with following goals:
-To provide for the safety and security of the school's students, faculty, staff and visitors.
-To provide classroom instruction and other information to students, faculty and staff concerning the law, personal rights and responsibilities, and other law-enforcement related topics.
-To act as a deterrent to crime in the school building, on the school campus, and in the community surrounding the school not only through the uniformed presence, but also by developing positive relationships with students, faculty and staff, and community members.
-Providing students, faculty and staff the opportunity to meet and interact with a police officer in a non-confrontational setting.
Many people, especially our young people, do not often get the chance to learn about who the officers are, "behind the badge." This program provides the opportunity for the officer to serve as a role model as well as a resource and a mentor to students who have questions or needs that the officer can assist with.
The presence of the School Resource Officer (SRO) on campus provides for a faster police response to incidents requiring police involvement, such as emergencies, criminal investigations and, when necessary, arrests. When such incidents occur, the SRO will also be better prepared to deal with them based on his or her familiarity with the school community and its daily operations.
The School Resource Officer Program is an integral part of the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office Community Policing Philosophy and is proving to be a successful part of its continuing operations.