School Resource & L.E.A.D.

The Gloucester County Sheriff's Department, has committed to the safety and well being of all the residents in our county.  One such commitment is to our younger generation and their protection.  Proudly, we have several School Resource Officers (SRO) serving at the many Gloucester County Special Services School District and also at Gloucester County Institute of Technology.  School Resource Officers reflects a national program that places law enforcement officers within local schools. The unit was designed to develop partnerships between law enforcement and the school community. 

This program encourages a positive law enforcement presence on school campuses. This entity concentrates on safety and security and encourages positive relationships and trust between officers, teachers, students and school staff.

Our Goals:

To function as:

• a visible, active law enforcement body on campus who serves as an immediate first responder, and deals with law-related issues
• a classroom resource for instruction in: law-related education, violence diffusion, safety programs, drug and alcohol prevention and more
• a member of school district faculty and administration to solve community issues
• a resource for students, teachers, & parents

In 2000, the Gloucester County Sheriff's established a partnership with the Gloucester County Vocational-Technical School and Gloucester County Special Services School Districts to assign one full-time police officer to the campuses. An additional officer was assigned in 2001, another in 2004 and then an additional in 2009. And since that time our partnership has grown!

The Gloucester County Sheriff's Office and the Board of Education has recognized that the presence of uniformed officers on campus is a deterrent to fighting drug use and sales as well as other forms of criminal behavior in our schools. The idea is to provide the safest educational environment for our youth, thereby giving them the best chance for educational success. The assignment of a school resource officer will enhance the working relationship of our police department with our young residents and help to build a stronger, safer community for now and the future. It provides us with positive interaction with our student teenage student population that helps us and them solve problems in a constructive way.