In a partnership with the Fargo Police Department (FPD), Fargo Public Schools (FPS) has seven School Resource Officers (SROs) assigned to each of our middle and high schools, along with a Cultural Liaison Officer housed at Agassiz. Students regard them as a regular part of their school environment.  SROs attend school activities, mingle with students in the hallways, and conduct classroom presentations. Most importantly, they form relationships with their students.

The FPS SRO program began in February 2000 with two police officers, and has since become one of the leading school-based policing programs in the country, even earning the "Model Program of the Year Award" for 2011 from the National Association of School Resource Officers.

The SRO program serves two primary functions: preserving school safety and building rapport between police officers and youth. Police officers from the FPD’s Field Services Division are assigned as full-time SROs.

As a non-traditional police assignment, there is no “typical day” for an SRO. The position requires flexibility, time management and multi-tasking skills, and well-developed interpersonal skills.

SRO duties may include:

• Enforcing criminal and traffic laws at school campuses and neighborhoods
• Conducting classroom and community presentations on a variety of police subjects
• Building police-to-student rapport through informal, non-enforcement contacts and activities
• Acting as an informal youth counselor for many problems students encounter
• Using police experience and training to improve school safety and security
• Attending after-school events and activities, such as dances and sporting events
• Serving as a school liaison for residents in campus neighborhoods, addressing safety and crime concerns
• Acting as a law enforcement liaison with the schools, assisting with communication, crime prevention and criminal investigations on issues that may happen outside normal school hours

The School Resource Officer program is one way Fargo Public Schools is working to proactively create a safe and successful learning environment for all students.