Bucks County Sheriff's Department Steps In To Provide SRO At West

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Under an agreement reached with the Central Bucks School District, the Bucks County Sheriff’s Department will be providing a Student Resource Officer (SRO) at Central Bucks West High School beginning with the new school year.

The agreement was confirmed Friday by Bucks County Sheriff Frederick Harran who said one of his deputies would be stepping into the role beginning with the 2023-24 school year.

“We are finalizing the contract. We have agreed to the terms. And on Wednesday I was able to get the salary board of the county to approve the new position,” said Harran. “This week I’m interviewing deputies for the position with the Central Bucks School District. So it’s full steam ahead.”

An SRO is a sworn law enforcement officer or deputy who has the authority to make arrests, respond to calls, and document incidents that occur within the school. Their presence also provides a visual reminder of safety.

Harran said he plans on having the SRO in place at Central Bucks West by the start of the new school year.

Central Bucks Superintendent Dr. Abram Lucabaugh also confirmed the agreement and said the district "is thrilled to enter into this partnership with the Bucks County Sheriff’s office.

"This has been a top priority for the board and administration as we strive to provide students with a dynamic educational experience in a secure and supportive environment that optimizes educational outcomes.

"Despite the roadblocks we’ve encountered, being able to move forward with the SRO model in CB West allows us to enhance school safety protocols, continue to build positive relationships, and provide effective crisis response," Lucabaugh said. "We are pleased that all three of our CB high schools will be staffed with a school resource officer in the fall.”

Under an agreement with the district, the Warrington Township Police Department is providing one of its officers as an SRO at South. The school district also expects to soon have an agreement in place with Buckingham to provide an SRO at East.

The school district had initially reached out to the Central Bucks Regional Police Commission to provide an SRO at West. The commission, however, turned down the request citing staffing issues as the reason.

The school district offered the same terms to the Sheriff’s Department as it did to the Central Bucks Regional Police Commission - a five-year term with the school district picking up the entire cost of the deputy’s salary, training, and equipment.

“I’m excited to be able to provide safety and security for Central Bucks West,” said Harran, adding that there will be no cost to the county taxpayer for the program.

This will be the first time the Bucks County Sheriff’s Department will be supplying an SRO to a school district in the county following the passage of amended legislation in 2019 allowing Sheriff Departments in Pennsylvania to provide deputies for the SRO program. Before 2019, only municipal police agencies could provide an SRO to their local schools.

Harran is no stranger to the SRO program.

While serving as police chief in Bensalem and not long after the Columbine shooting in Colorado in 1999, he launched the first SRO program in Bucks County and the second in the Commonwealth through a partnership with the Bensalem Township School District. The Columbine shooting claimed the lives of 12 students and one teacher and shocked the nation.