School Resource Officers

Staff

The St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office works with St. Charles parish schools to ensure the safety for students throughout our parish. In the Special Services Division, we have a total of 12 school resource officers who monitor the schools throughout the school year. Lieutenant Brock Lawrence is the supervisor of the school resource officers.

For a full list of officers, please view Resource Officers.

Violence Prevention

The number of fights in St. Charles parish schools has dropped dramatically since the parish’s Safe Schools program began in the 1994-95 school year.  The program, which stations St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Deputies in the parish’s two high schools and four middle schools, is designed to quell violence by deterring student fights.

But the role of the officers, called “resource officers,” involves more than just keeping the peace. They act as role models and provide a law enforcement presence on campus. To provide additional security, we now have an additional five officers who help to ensure safety for students at our elementary schools throughout the parish. 

Origins of Violence Prevention

The violence prevention program was put in place after the number of student fights had increased dramatically over a five-year period, and on occasion, resulted in serious injury.

Another concern was that students involved in fights disregarded the orders of school personnel and continued to be aggressive.  After school and Sheriff’s Office officials reviewed the system in place at two other Louisiana high schools that had resulted in reductions in violence, it was implemented in St. Charles Parish.

Strategy

School and Sheriff’s Office officials determined that students who felt unsafe in school would be more likely to bring weapons to campus, and a police presence on campus would reduce the threat of violence.  After the program was implemented, the number of violent incidents dropped by a dramatic 83 percent. Students who get involved in fights can be arrested and assigned to court school if it is determined that they are the aggressor. Students are allowed to defend themselves against an attack but can be arrested if they retaliate.  

Partnership

The mission of the on-campus officers is to support the administration.  “We know how to be police officers. They know how to be school administrators,” said Captain Renee Kinler. The officers’ job is not only to stop fights, but to develop a rapport with students designed to help them stay out of trouble. The strategy has shown results. The number of violent incidents at the schools has averaged 106 per year, a 76-percent reduction from the 436 incidents recorded in the 1993-94 school year. “Realistically, we’re not going to stop every fight. But every child we can turn around is worth the effort,” Kinler said.  "Students are willing to accept discipline as long as they believe the rules are being applied fairly," he said.

Rules

When a fight occurs, school administrators investigate to discover the aggressors.

Someone who is attacked can defend themselves, but retaliating against an attacker can lead to an arrest. Penalties for fighting can result in being sent to the school system’s (ADAPT) alternative program at Landry Educational Programs Center for as long as 45 days for high school students and 20 days for middle school students. Repeat offenders may spending more time in the program and are subject to expulsion.

For more detailed information on the discipline offenses, please contact St. Charles Parish Public Schools. 

Additional Information

For more information, please contact Lieutenant Brock Lawrence at (985) 783-1355.