School Resource Officers
The Youth Services Section is
comprised of School Resource Officers
(SRO), the Multidisciplinary Threat
Assessment Team, and the Hometown
Recruiting Program. The SRO Unit has
3 sergeants and 22 officers assigned
to high schools, junior high schools,
and the Career and Technical Center.
Officers partner with the school district
to provide a safe and secure learning
environment for educators and
students.
SROs are involved with youth
initiatives outside of the schools
such as High School Citizen’s Police
Academy, Police Explorers, Police
Activities League Camps, and
Hometown Recruiting. The unit also
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| 2019 Annual Report
partners with Tarrant County Crime
Stoppers promoting the program to
students and thoroughly investigating
tips that come in.
In 2019, the department,
in collaboration with Arlington
Independent School District and My
Health My Resource of Tarrant County,
came together to help combat school
related threats before escalating to
violence. These three entities created
a Multidisciplinary Threat Assessment
Team, whose primary focus is to
identify and evaluate risk posed
by a student (K-12), as a response
to an actual or perceived threat or
concerning behavior. The goal of
the team is to promote a safe school
environment by assessing a student’s
risk for engaging in violence or other
harmful activities and to identify
strategies to intervene.
Senate Bill 11, Section 37.115,
effective September 1, 2019,
mandates school districts to create a
“Threat Assessment Team and Safe
and Supportive School Program”
to include law enforcement, a local
mental health agency, and other
agencies to address threats of violence
and/or concerning behaviors.
Training on warning behaviors
and red flags was conducted for
all Arlington ISD campus threat
assessment teams, including all
school resource officers. Intervening
early on the pathway to violence with
a community approach, ensuring
collaboration and communication, is
crucial to combatting school violence.
Working together as a community to
aid and support a student of concern
creates a culture to help beyond the
academic setting. The Arlington Police
Department, Arlington Independent
School District, and My Health My
Resource of Tarrant County make
school safety and student well-being a
top priority.