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In
1989 the Auburndale Police Department implemented
the School Resource Officer Program in our schools
on a full-time basis. The purpose of the SRO
program is to build rapport between the students,
school officials and parents with the Auburndale
Police Department, plus project a positive image of
law enforcement in the Polk County School System and
the community. The program started with one
full-time SRO who would provide services to six
local schools. The program has grown to three
full-time SRO's. The program is supplemented
financially by the Polk County School Board. The
officers assigned to the SRO program are full-time,
sworn police officers and are employed by the police
department. These officers, under contract with the
school board, work at their respective schools
during school hours. The SRO's also provide service
to the schools for after hours events such as
football games, dances, etc.
With the inception of the SRO program in 1989, the
Auburndale Police Department also implemented the
D.A.R.E. program for the elementary students. This
program, Drug Abuse Resistance Education, was
created in Los Angeles, California in 1987.
D.A.R.E.'s focus is to educate children about the
dangers associated with substance abuse. For eleven
years, SRO's taught D.A.R.E. to many fifth gradres
at
the elementary schools. D.A.R.E. served as the
cornerstone in educating our youth to "Just Say No"
to drugs. Unfortunately, drugs were not the only
problem present in our schools; violence was on the
increase.
S.A.V.E., Substance Abuse and Violence Education,
created by the Polk County Sheriff's Office in 1994,
was introduced by our SRO's in the Auburndale elementary schools
in 2001. This ten-week program is designed not only
to address the issue of substance abuse, but also
other problems our youth encounter, such as
violence, gang resistance, and cultural diversity.
Since SRO's were assigned to the middle and senior
high school, the decision was made to present
S.A.V.E. to the entry-level of middle schools which
is fifth graders. This would serve two fold. In
addition to teaching S.A.V.E., SRO's would also be
available at the elementary schools to investigate
criminal offenses and counsel with students and
parents. The S.A.V.E. program has developed a
prestigious reputation for being not only
professional, but educational as well. The
boundaries are unlimited as to the endless
possibilities of such a dynamic program. It takes a
very special person to be a S.A.V.E. instructor.
Being committed is important, but there is something
else. Just ask any S.A.V.E. instructor and they will
tell you, "The kids, the kids are the reason why."
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