Columbia youth advisers hear from school resource officers about safety, security
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia’s Youth Advisory Council heard from two school resource officers Tuesday about their roles in schools and how students can help improve campus safety.
The presentation from Columbia Police Department officers came as the council looks for ways to support youth safety, one of its two main priorities alongside environmental health and climate change.
The committee was looking for ways members can be involved in youth-safety initiatives. The discussion highlighted several areas for potential outreach, including encouraging students to remain aware of their surroundings, follow school security procedures and take safety drills seriously.
School resource officers try to maintain an informal atmosphere when interacting with students to help them feel comfortable approaching officers. The program has been around for over a decade and initially started as the D.A.R.E. program.
The city and Columbia Public Schools renewed its SRO agreement this summer, with the Columbia City Council approving an agreement Aug. 3 that provides for five additional officers during the regular school year and summer school session.
The expansion increased the number of SROs from four to nine, with two additional officers assigned to Hickman High School, one to Rock Bridge High School and two to Battle High School.
Under the agreement, CPS reimburses the city for 75% of the officers' salary and benefit costs.
CPS partners with CPD to place officers in schools and build relationships between law enforcement, students, families and school staff.
The district selects officers in coordination with CPD. The process includes interviews with a police department representative, the principal of the school where the officer would serve and the district's director of safety and security.
During Tuesday's meeting the officers discussed their day-to-day responsibilities, including building relationships with students, giving classroom presentations and helping schools respond to safety concerns. CPS told ABC 17 News in March that SROs also worked 78 events outside regular instructional hours.
During a March review of the program, district officials reported that SROs had investigated 144 crimes during the 2025-26 school year, compared with 186 during the full 2024-25 school year. Responses to disruptions, however, increased from 217 to 239.
The district has identified deescalation training and stronger relationships between schools and families as areas for improvement.
Officers also use classroom presentations to discuss safety and reinforce expectations for students. They said a recent incident in which a student opened a door that was not a designated student entrance to someone who was not a student provided an opportunity to reinforce building security procedures.
The officers also emphasized the importance of students remaining aware of their surroundings in hallways, particularly when using phones or wearing headphones.
They said students who are distracted may be less likely to recognize developing conflicts and could become caught in the middle of an altercation. One example discussed during the meeting involved a student accidentally being exposed to pepper spray during an incident.
SROs also help ensure students take safety drills seriously and participate in school activities, including presentations and events outside regular classroom hours.
The officers are part of a broader security system within the district. CPS also has a safety and security team made up of retired law enforcement officers, along with building-level safety and security aides who perform duties such as monitoring metal detectors.
During Tuesday's meeting, students also raised questions about security cameras that use artificial intelligence.
The officers said the cameras can help identify and track someone involved in an incident based on characteristics such as clothing. However, they said SROs do not typically manage the camera system, which is overseen by the district.
The officers said older cameras had poor image quality and a lot of blind spots. They were also motion-activated and sensitive, so they would miss things. Access to recorded footage is limited to building administrators, district safety and security personnel and law enforcement, the officers said.
