The history of School Resource Officers as Santa Rita District marks one year with SROs

The Santa Rita Union Elementary School District gave the okay to have School Resource Officers on its campuses around this time last year.

The use of such a program at other districts in Salinas has been brought up before, especially since the Salinas Union High School District had implemented it more than 10 years ago before dropping it due to a poor economy.

Attempts to revive the program in 2014 fell apart when despite help from a grant, the city didn’t have enough officers to keep it going (at that time, they had the funds to be able to bring 8 officers on board).

Yet another attempt at a revival was prevented by Alisal and Salinas Union High School District officials, who felt Salinas police in its initial agreement appeared “non-negotiable” and attempted to rush the district through the process.

Opponents of the SRO program also believed the program created a “school to prison pipeline” and caused stress for students at the schools.

Santa Rita schools shared a different outcome after a year of having the program.

“The fears that were presented prior to them coming on our campus were not true,” says a Santa Rita district representative. “In fact it’s the exact opposite.”

Two officers are covering the six or so schools in the Santa Rita district for now. Police say at least 13 people had applied to be an SRO.

Current Santa Rita SROs say they were inspired to participate in the program after their interactions growing up with an SRO in their respective schools proved positive.

“When you say community policing, that means all of the community, all of the resources come together to build a better pathway to students in the future.”

Meanwhile residents have been outspoken in recent days about having School Resource Officers back at their kid’s school districts.

The discussion has led city leaders along with police to organize a meeting which would instruct residents on how to formally ask school board trustees to bring back the SRO program to SUHSD and possibly Alisal district schools.

That meeting will take place October 29 at 6:30pm and is expected to last until 7:30 pm. It will take place at 200 Lincoln Avenue at the Salinas City Hall Rotunda.