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Politics

Gus Bilirakis: Feds Need to Ensure More School Resource Officers on Campus

March 29, 2018 - 3:00pm
Gus Bilirakis
Gus Bilirakis

In the aftermath of the school shooting in Parkland and others across the nation, a congressman from Florida is urging for more School Resource Officers (SROs) to be added to campuses. 

This week, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., continued his efforts for more SROs, including working with officials in the Tampa Bay area, especially as not every school in that region has SROs on campus. 

“Funding critical programs to protect our children, such as the School Resource Program, will provide greater opportunity to prevent further tragedies by utilizing threat assessment teams.  The more emphasis we place on identifying emerging threats and prevention, the safer our community will be,” said Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco.  

Bilirakis has called for more federal funds to go to SROs through the U.S. Department of Justice and has written to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on the matter. The Tampa Bay Republican is also planning to add more funds for SROs in the next federal budget. 

“I will not stop fighting for more federal funding until every school in my district has at least one SRO on its campus,” Bilirakis said this week. “This is about protecting our children and ensuring that they feel safe when they go to school to learn. I want every parent to have the confidence of knowing that a well-trained, seasoned professional is at the helm.”

In the meantime, Bilirakis is getting the support of local officials, including  Pasco County School Superintendent Kurt Browning. 

“Student safety is the number one priority in Pasco County Schools, and the presence of a law enforcement officer in every school is the most important step toward fulfilling that priority,” Browning said. “I appreciate the efforts of the Florida Legislature to enhance school safety, but we did not receive funding sufficient to do what we need to do.  Pasco County Schools currently has 37 school resource officers and needs 47 additional SROs in order to staff every school.  Our total estimated cost to place an SRO in every school is $5,233,147, and we received a total allocation of $3,525,606, leaving a funding shortfall of $1,707,541.  More funding is absolutely necessary, and I thank Congressman Bilirakis for everything he is doing to protect our students and staff.”

For his part, Bilirakis insisted SROs were worth the cost. 

“In addition to being a vital component of achieving physical safety, I believe SROs add great value in terms ensuring safe schools by reducing bullying, encouraging positive behavior, promoting drug-free environments and building a bridge between the community and law enforcement,” Bilirakis said.     


READ MORE FROM SUNSHINE STATE NEWS 

Superintendents Say Money May Not Cover Resource Officers

State Troopers to Beef Up Security at Parkland School​

Comments

It would be interesting to know the break down of the $3,525,606 . To the novice it seems the only expenditure would be salary for each officer. If this is so then the 3+million dollars is more than enough. Can someone please explain.

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