Investigations - Copy (6)The School Resource Deputy (SRD) Program places Law Enforcement Deputies in schools with the goal of creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment for students, teachers, staff, and visitors. Currently, six (6) DeSoto County Sheriff’s Deputies are assigned to the School Resource Deputy Program. 

Command Level Staff oversees the School Resource Deputy Program. School Resource Deputies are assigned full-time to six (6) of the eight (8) schools within the DeSoto School Resource Deputies are specially trained, State-Certified, Sworn Deputy Sheriffs who provide a uniformed presence to each school campus they are assigned to. They are prepared and trained to protect the students, faculty, and visitors. SRDs conduct criminal investigations and patrol their assigned schools. County School District. SRDs are present during the academic school year, summer schools, and extracurricular activities. The SRD Program is considered one of the most proactive strategies in community-oriented policing and crime prevention. 
  
Deputies assigned to the SRD Unit receive numerous hours of specialized training through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement-Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, the Florida Attorney General’s Office, and the Florida Association of School Resource Officers. This training encompasses core concepts for an effective School Resource Deputy. Those concepts are Law Enforcement and Informal Counselor.

The SRD Program is based on a cooperative relationship between law enforcement deputies, teachers, school personnel, and parents. It develops a positive relationship between the SRD and students.

Each School Resource Deputy has gained a wealth of information over their career, which is shared with the students, their parents, and the school’s staff. Each school and individual students have different needs, but the School Resource Deputy is there to help assist and develop a positive Law Enforcement relationship with all they encounter.

Our School Resource Deputies conduct classroom presentations on various subjects, including law-related education, crime and violence prevention, safety, and alcohol and drugs prevention. The deputies assigned as School Resource Deputies are passionately invested in their schools and proud to serve the families of DeSoto County.

School Resource Deputies are assigned to a school on a long-term basis to become familiar with their school's specific needs and the specific needs of the individual students and staff. SRDs assist the school with providing a safe environment while offering the students an approachable and positive role model.

The School Resource Deputy Program is part of Sheriff Potter’s dedication to “Community Partnership,” in that the deputies assigned to a school possess the skills to build relationships, solve problems, and enforce the law; while focusing on the quality of life within the school and the community, the school serves. The School Resource Deputies accomplish this by being proactive and community-oriented.