Norris School District, School Resource Officer

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I have been with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office since 1990. I am a member of the accident reconstruction team, forensic child interviewer and has received specialized training in many other areas. Since starting the SRO program, I maintain my level of training to keep up-to-date on the issues affecting schools.

Currently, I am serving all four Lancaster County schools. The other schools are Malcolm. Raymond Central and Waverly High School.

The School Resource Officer program was started in the late 1950’s in Flint, Michigan. Since then, the program has spread nationwide. The purpose of this program is to create and maintain a safe educational environment for students, teachers and staff. Another goal of the SRO program is to bridge the gap between students and law enforcement.

The School Resource Officer provides a valuable resource for schools as well as the school district to which they are assigned

·        First and foremost they are Law Enforcement Officers whose primary purpose is to “keep the peace” in the schools so students can learn;

·        Second they are Advisors who provide guidance to students about law enforcement questions

·        Third they are a Resource to act as a link to support services both inside and outside the school environment

·        And fourth they are Law-Related Teachers who provide the schools with an additional resource by sharing their expertise in the law-related education classroom 

Beyond these identified roles, and perhaps most important, SRO's are Positive Role Models for many students who are not exposed to such role models in today's society

Having an SRO on a school campus can prevent problems from happening. When problems do arise, SRO's can intervene immediately to address what is taking place. The result is a safer and more secure school for students, teachers and staff. The entire community benefits as well because learning is more likely to take place in such an environment

Feel free to contact me at 791-0010 ext. 2255 or by email joe.gehr@norris160.org

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