School Resource Officer Program

The main purpose of the School Resource Officer is to provide a safe and secure environment conducive to learning.  The specialized knowledge of the law, local and national crime trends and safety threats, people and places in the community, and the local juvenile-justice system combine to make police critical members of schools' policy-making teams when it comes to environmental safety planning and facilities management, school-safety policy, and emergency response preparedness. In order to fully realize the benefits of the presence of local police, the officers must be trained properly. Officers' law-enforcement knowledge and skill combine with specialized SRO training for their duties in the education setting. SROs, as a result, possess a skill unique among both law enforcement and education personnel that enables SROs to protect the community and the both campuses while supporting the educational mission.  Without the excellent working relationship between the Lexington City School System, Lexington Police Department and the community, the School Resource Officer program would not be possible.

D.A.R.E. Program

The D.A.R.E. program places a uniformed law enforcement officer in the classroom as the program instructor. The police officers assigned to D.A.R.E. come straight from the streets. Their years of direct experience with the ruined lives and streets crimes caused by substance abuse and violence gives them unmatched credibility and knowledge.

The purpose of the program is to prevent substance abuse and violence among school-age children by:

• Providing students with accurate information about alcohol and drugs;
• Teaching students ways to say "No" to drugs, while providing alternatives to drug use;
• Teaching students decision-making skills and the consequences of their behavior; and
• Building students' self-esteem, while teaching them how to resist peer pressure.