2016 SLEPS Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) Survey

Attachment A

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

2016 Survey of Law Enforcement Personnel in
Schools (SLEPS)
Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) Survey
[Display ORI with agency info]

INSTRUCTIONS
• This survey should be completed by a representative who is most knowledgeable
about your agency’s employment of and policies regarding law enforcement officers
working in schools.
• This survey uses the following terms and definitions:
o School Resource Officer (SRO): any officer who is primarily assigned to any
public K-12 schools, regardless of sworn status, arrest powers, and employment
status (full-time or part-time), unless otherwise specified in the question
o SRO program: your agency’s employment of officers who are primarily assigned
to any K-12 public schools, regardless of sworn status, arrest powers, and
employment status (full-time or part-time), unless otherwise specified in the
question
• The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended (42 USC
3732), authorizes this information collection. Although this survey is voluntary, we
need your participation to make the results comprehensive, accurate, and timely. We
greatly appreciate your assistance.

Burden Statement
Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and a person is
not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a currently valid
OMB Control Number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is
estimated to average 2 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and
completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this
burden estimate, or any other aspects of this collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810
Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20531.

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Attachment A

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY CHARACTERISTICS

1.

Which best describes your agency? Please mark all that apply.
F
F
F
F
F
F
F

Police department, municipal
Police department, county
State/highway department
Sheriff’s Office
Tribal
Independent School District
Other (please specify): _______________________________________________

2.

As of August 31, 201X, how many sworn full-time officers with general arrest powers did
your agency employ? ______

3.

As of August 31, 201X, how many of the following fulltime and/or part-time officers were primarily assigned to
any public K-12 schools?

Number of fulltime officers

Number of
part-time
officers

a. Sworn officers with general arrest powers .....................

_______

_______

b. Sworn officers with limited arrest powers .....................

_______

_______

c. Nonsworn officers........................................................

_______

_______

d. Total ...........................................................................

_______

_______

IF 0 FULL-TIME
OFFICERS—GO TO END
OF SURVEY

4.

Do any of these sworn officers with general arrest
powers (number reported in item 3a) who are primarily
assigned to public K-12 schools…
a. carry a firearm while working in schools? .................
b. wear a uniform while working in schools?.................

2

Yes

No

None
employed

Attachment A

5.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

Do any of these sworn officers with limited arrest
powers (number reported in item 3b) who are primarily
assigned to public K-12 schools…

Yes

No

None
employed

Yes

No

None
employed

Yes

No

None
employed

a. carry a firearm while working in schools? .................
b. wear a uniform while working in schools?.................

6.

Do any of these nonsworn officers (number reported in
item 3c) who are primarily assigned to public K-12
schools…
a. wear a uniform while working in schools?.................

7.

Do any of the following officers receive specialized
School Resource Officer (SRO) training?
a. Sworn officers with general arrest powers .................
b. Sworn officers with limited arrest powers..................
c. Nonsworn officers ....................................................

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Attachment A

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

SRO PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS

8.

Enter the number of SROs in your agency by race/Hispanic origin
and sex, regardless of sworn status, arrest powers, and
employment status:

Male

Female

a. White, not of Hispanic origin

_____

______

b. Black or African American, not of Hispanic origin

______

______

c. Hispanic or Latino

______

______

d. American Indian or Alaska Native, not of Hispanic origin

______

______

e. Asian, not of Hispanic origin

______

______

f. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, not of Hispanic
origin

______

______

g. Two or more races

______

______

h. Race/Hispanic origin not known

______

______

TOTAL SROs (SUM OF A–H) ______

______

9.

In what year did your agency’s SRO program start? ______________

10.

What is the funding source for your SRO program? Please mark all that apply
F
F
F
F
F

Federal grant
State/Local grant
Law enforcement agency
School district
Other—please specify: _______________________________________________

4

Attachment A

11.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

How many of the following types of schools are served by your SRO
program? If none, please enter ‘0’

Number

a. Elementary schools ..................................................................................

______

b. Middle/Junior high schools .......................................................................

______

c. High schools ............................................................................................

______

11a. Are any of the schools served by your SRO
program…

Yes

No

Don’t know

a. Charter schools ..................................................
b. Alternative schools .............................................

12.

Does your SRO program serve private schools?
F Yes
F No

13.

In general, do officers in your agency perform SRO functions as a continuous assignment
or do they rotate to other assignments at times?
F Continuous assignments
GO TO QUESTION 14
F Rotate to other assignments at times

13a. [IF QUESTION 13 RESPONSE IS ROTATE] How often do these rotations occur?
Please mark only one
F
F
F
F
F

Only during summer when school is not in session.
Every year
Every few years
Rotations occur on an individual basis with each SRO
Other—please specify: _______________________________________________

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Attachment A

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

SRO POLICIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

14.

What form of agreement is in place between your agency’s SRO program and the
school(s)/school districts? Please mark all that apply.
F
F
F
F
F
F

Memorandum of understanding (MOU)
Contractual agreement, such as through a grant or other basis
Legislation
Verbal agreement
Other—please specify: ___________________________
There is no formal agreement

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Attachment A

15.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

Please consider the policies guiding your SRO program when completing the following
questions. Select the most appropriate category below, when answering questions about
your program’s characteristics.
Please mark only one for each row. If there is an MOU in place between your agency and
the school district, please provide a copy.

SRO program characteristic
a. The number of officers in your SRO
program

Addressed
within a formal
No formal
contract or
contract but
MOU between
your agency and decided with
input from the
the school
district
school district

b. The schedule (e.g., before the school
day begins, the full school day, etc.)
that officers in your SRO program
will spend at school
c. The role of officers in your SRO
program
d. The expectations regarding citations
and referrals by officers in your SRO
program
e. The primary areas of focus (e.g.,
education, mentoring, gangs, drugs,
etc.) by officers in your SRO program
f. Expectations regarding collaboration
with school administration and
teachers by officers in your SRO
program
g. Expectations for working with
students and parents by officers in
your SRO program
h. Procedures for resolving
disagreements between school
administrators and officers in your
SRO program

7

Addressed solely
through internal
law enforcement
agency policy with
no input from the
school district

Attachment A

16.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

Indicate whether each law enforcement activity is performed by any of your agency’s
SROs, as defined by agency policies or agreements with their assigned schools/school
districts.
Please mark all that apply.
Type of SRO Performing Each Activity
Sworn officers Sworn officers
with general
with limited
Nonsworn
arrest powers arrest powers
officers

Law enforcement activity
a. Patrolling school facilities
b. Issuing citations
c. Responding to calls for service on the
school campus
d. Emergency management/crisis
preparedness planning
e. Security audits/assessments of school
campuses
f. Making arrests
g. Responding to incidents in the classroom

17.

Indicate whether each law enforcement activity is performed by any of your agency’s
SROs, as defined by agency policies or agreements with their assigned schools/school
districts.
Please mark all that apply.
Type of SRO Performing Each Activity
Sworn officers Sworn officers
with general
with limited
Nonsworn
arrest powers arrest powers
officers

Mentoring activity
a. Truancy intervention
b. Supervising/coordinating non-athletic
extra-curricular activities
c. Field trip chaperone
d. Coaching athletic programs
e. Advising school staff, students, or families
(one-on-one, in a group, etc.)

8

Attachment A

18.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

Indicate whether each teaching activity is performed by any of your agency’s SROs, as
defined by agency policies or agreements with their assigned schools/school districts.
Please mark all that apply.
Type of SRO Performing Each Activity
Sworn officers Sworn officers
with general
with limited
Nonsworn
arrest powers arrest powers
officers

Teaching activity
a. Teaching students about drugs, legal
issues, safety, crime awareness, or conflict
resolution
b. Special safety programs / presentations
c. Faculty / staff in-service presentations
d. Parent organization presentations

19.

Please indicate whether the following items are worn or carried by any of your agency’s
SROs while on the school campus.
Please mark all that apply.

Item

Type of SRO Wearing or Carrying the Item
Sworn
Sworn
N/A;
officers with
officers
Officers do
general
with limited
not wear or
arrest
arrest
Nonsworn carry this
powers
powers
officers
item

a. A regulation uniform identical or
highly consistent with your
agency’s standard uniform
b. Baton/nightstick
c. OC Spray/foam
d. Conducted energy device (e.g.
Taser)
e. Body-worn camera
f. Firearm
g. Other—please specify:
__________________________

9

Attachment A

20.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

Do agency policies or agreements with schools require SROs to have regular meetings with
school executive staff, such as the principal, while on assignment?
F Yes
F No

21.

According to agency policies or agreements with schools, when must an SRO inform
school executive staff of the following? Please mark all that apply

Action

Immediately
Prior to
following
action
action

a. Stop, question, and
interview of
student/staff
b. Conduct investigation
c. Question students
during school hours
d. Question school
employees during
school hours
e. Arrest of student
during school hours
f. Arrest of school
employee during
school hours
g. Search premises
h. Search student
i.

Use of force on student
that does not result in
arrest

10

Following
Action
whenever
practical

Not required No policy
to inform
regarding
executive communication
staff
of action

Attachment A

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

SRO RECRUITMENT, TRAINING, AND SUPERVISION

22.

Do schools participate in the selection process when your agency recruits and hires SROs?
F Yes
F No

GO TO QUESTION 23

22a. [IF QUESTION 22 RESPONSE IS YES] How does the school participate? Please mark
all that apply.
F
F
F
F
F
23.

Through active recruitment of officers
Through participation in requirements/selection criteria
By reviewing SRO candidates prior to selection
By providing feedback on SROs after placement to help determine a “good fit”
Other—please specify: _______________________________________________

How does your agency select officers for the SRO program? Please mark all that apply.
F Through an application process from within the department
F Through an application process external to the department (i.e. officers are hired
specifically to be SROs)
F By nomination of officers from within the department
F Through assignment as part of regular duty schedule
F As a result of input and/or recommendations by school(s)/school district
F Other—please specify: _______________________________________________

24.

Which entities provide training to officers in your LEA’s SRO program? Please mark all
that apply.
F
F
F
F

Our agency itself
NASRO and/or other national officer organizations’
An office or department within our state
Other—please specify: _______________________________________________

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Attachment A

25.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

Does your agency provide training to its SROs on the following law enforcement
activities/topics?
Please note that the ‘Any’ category refers to general training on the topic, including initial
training such as that received during academy training. SRO-specific training refers to
training provided only to SROs as part of the SRO program and not required of other
assignments.

Law enforcement
activity/topic

Sworn Officers with
General Arrest Powers

Sworn Officers with
Limited Arrest Powers

SRONot
specific provided

SRONot
specific provided

Any

a. Conducting law
enforcement
activities in
schools
b. Responding to
calls for service
on the school
campus
c. Responding to
incidents in the
classroom
d. Juvenile gangs
e. Social media
monitoring/techno
logy-related
investigations
f. Use of deadly
force
g. Use of less lethal
force
h. De-escalation
strategies and
techniques

12

Any

Nonsworn Officers
Any

SRONot
specific provided

Attachment A

26.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

Does your agency provide training to its SROs on the following prevention and planning
activities?
Please note that the ‘Any’ category refers to general training on the topic, including initial
training such as that received during academy training. SRO-specific training refers to
training provided only to SROs as part of the SRO program and not required of other
assignments.

Prevention and
planning activity

Sworn Officers with
General Arrest Powers

Sworn Officers with
Limited Arrest Powers

SRONot
specific provided

SRONot
specific provided

Any

a. Crisis
preparedness
planning
b. Security audits/
assessments of
school campuses
c. Truancy intervention and
dropout
prevention
d. Bullying
deterrence
e. Substance abuse
recognition
f. Teaching students
about drugs, legal
issues, safety,
crime awareness,
or conflict
resolution
g. Special safety
programs/
presentations

13

Any

Nonsworn Officers
Any

SRONot
specific provided

Attachment A

27.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

Does your agency provide training to its SROs on the following social and behavioral
topics?
Please note that the ‘Any’ category refers to general training on the topic, including initial
training such as that received during academy training. SRO-specific training refers to
training provided only to SROs as part of the SRO program and not required of other
assignments.

Social and
behavioral topic

Sworn Officers with
General Arrest Powers

Sworn Officers with
Limited Arrest Powers

SRONot
specific provided

SRONot
specific provided

Any

a. Conducting
mentoring
activities,
including advising
staff, students,
and/or families
b. Positive school
discipline
c. Student mental
health
d. Cultural
sensitivity and/or
cultural
competency
e. Child/adolescent
psychology/devel
opment
f. Students with
disabilities
g. Restorative justice
(emphasis on
school
community,
conflict resolution
by repairing harm)

14

Any

Nonsworn Officers
Any

SRONot
specific provided

Attachment A

28.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

Do agency policies require supervisors to visit schools for the purpose of observing SROs
on a periodic basis?
F Yes
F No

GO TO QUESTION 29

28a. [IF QUESTION 28 RESPONSE IS YES] How often? Please mark only one
F
F
F
F

29.

Once a month
At least twice a year
Once a year
Other—please specify: _______________________________________________

Does your agency collect data on any of the following measures related to
the activities of SROs and the schools they serve?
a. Number and/or type of suspensions recorded at school ...........................
b. Number and/or type of property crimes reported at school ......................
c. Number and/or type of substance violations recorded at school (e.g.
possession, use, buying/selling) .............................................................
d. Number and/or type of reports of violence at school ...............................
e. Number and/or type of arrests made by SRO ..........................................
f. Number and/or type of citations issued by SRO......................................
g. Number and/or type of classes/programs taught by SRO .........................
h. Number and/or type of mentoring activities performed by SRO ..............
i.

Outreach to faculty/staff performed by SRO...........................................

j.

Outreach to parents/community performed by SRO ................................

k. Number and/or type of use of force incidents..........................................

15

Yes

No

Attachment A

30.

OMB No. XXXX-XXXX; Approval Expires XX/XX/201X

In addition to this survey, we provided you with a form to list all of the sworn officers with
general arrest powers from your jurisdiction who are primarily assigned to work in K-12
public schools. We will use this list to randomly select some of these individual officers to
receive a survey about activities they perform. Included on the form is guidance for
anonymizing the list of officers should you prefer not to provide direct identification of the
officers.
Are you willing to provide this information?
F Yes—please complete the Officer Roster Form
F No—please indicate why you are not willing to provide this information:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

END. Thank you very much. Those are all the questions we have for you.

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