MERIDIAN, ID – The Idaho Statistical Analysis Center (ISAC), a division of the Idaho State Police, has released a comprehensive study examining the role and effectiveness of school resource officers (SROs) across the state’s K–12 public school system.
Commissioned by the Idaho SRO Working Group and funded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the report highlights key data regarding school-based crime, SRO deployment, and the perceptions of school administrators and law enforcement regarding the duties of SROs.
According to the findings, Idaho saw over 2% of its total criminal offenses in 2023 occur on elementary or secondary school campuses. Most of these offenses involved simple assault (24%), drug or narcotic violations (24%), and drug equipment violations (15%). The majority of offenders were male juveniles.
The study documented approximately 191 SRO positions across 77 school districts, accounting for roughly 92% of Idaho’s public school enrollment. This indicates a higher likelihood of SRO programs existing in more populous districts.
ISAC found a weak positive correlation between the number of SROs in a county and the percentage of offenses occurring on school property. While the correlation does not imply causation, researchers recommend further study to better understand this relationship.
The report also compared how SROs view their responsibilities with how school leaders believe those duties should be carried out. SROs reported spending more time on law enforcement duties and less time teaching than administrators preferred. However, time spent in a mentoring role appeared to align between both groups.
Despite challenges such as limited funding, staffing constraints, and inconsistent training standards across districts, more than 90% of surveyed administrators and school board members believe SROs contribute positively to campus safety and law enforcement relationships with youth.
As a policy consideration, ISAC suggests Idaho explore the possibility of creating a state-level SRO program similar to the one recently adopted in Utah to bring greater consistency to training and expectations.
The full report, titled School Resource Officers in Idaho, is available through the ISAC Publication Library at isp.idaho.gov/pgr/isac.
