- School districts in Western New York will receive money in this year’s state budget to support new and existing school resource officer programs. About $1.9 million was allocated in the state’s budget for SRO funding statewide in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting.
- In September, Missouri lawmakers loosened gun restrictions by passing a bill that allows school districts to designate teachers or administrators to become school protection officers. A growing number of Missouri schools that have chosen to arm teachers.
- Pennsylvania officials have announced that $3.9 million has been awarded to 114 schools and municipalities to fund the hiring of police and resource officers in schools across Pennsylvania. Priority for funding is given to schools and municipalities that employ officers who have completed additional training related to interaction with children and adolescents within a school setting.
- In California, a policy that allows Merced County Sheriff’s Department administrators to search the personal cellphones of deputies is at the center of controversy. A deputy’s personal cellphone can be searched when “reasonable suspicion” exists of possible misconduct. Supervisors, detectives, and some school resource officers use their personal cellphones for work-related purposes.