Ind. Legislators Want More SROs in Schools

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has offered his support for a bill that would potentially put more police officers in schools.

The legislation, filed by Sen. Pete Miller (R-Ind.), would set aside $10 million for the Indiana Safe School Fund that could be leveraged by local school corporations to hire trained law enforcement officers as school resource officers (SROs). If approved, the bill would allow public schools to apply for matching grants to hire officers to work in schools,  Pharos-Tribune  reports.

During a press conference on Jan. 3, Zoeller and Miller stated that they began working on the bill before the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Zoeller estimated that one-quarter to one-third of Indiana’s schools have police officers serving as SROs. Miller recognized that the legislation would not provide enough money to put a police officer in every school, but noted that it is a first step to making school safer.

Superintendent for Public Instruction Glenda Ritz has also supported the bill, as well as the Indiana Association of Police Chiefs.