School Resource Officers
School resource officers engage students
Duluth Public Schools contract with the Duluth Police Department to have a school resource officer at each of our high schools and middle schools. The school resource officers are commissioned Duluth police officers and are required to visit all of our school sites to build relationships with students and be available during emergency situations. Duluth Public Schools will review the impacts of the program on the district and students on a yearly basis.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the role/benefit of a school resource officer?
- What training does a Duluth Public Schools school resource officer receive?
- What schools have school resource officers?
- Who decides when a student gets a citation and how is it decided?
- Who hires the school resource officers?
- How do school resource officers differ from a security guard?
- Why do school resource officers carry weapons and what do they carry?
What is the role/benefit of a school resource officer?
What training does a Duluth Public Schools school resource officer receive?
What schools have school resource officers?
Who decides when a student gets a citation and how is it decided?
Who hires the school resource officers?
How do school resource officers differ from a security guard?
Why do school resource officers carry weapons and what do they carry?
Know Your Rights
WHEN INTERACTING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT:
- Remain calm. You may calmly ask if you are free to leave; if you are, then you may quietly and calmly walk away.
- You have the right to remain silent. Tell the officer, “I am invoking my right to remain silent and do not consent to speaking with you.” If you are asked to write a statement or sign one, you can refuse by stating, “I do not want to make a statement,” or “I wish to remain silent.”
- You may ask to speak to your parent or guardian by saying, “I would like to speak to my parent/guardian.” However, law enforcement can talk to you without a parent/guardian present, or before a parent/guardian has been made aware of an incident. You still have the right to remain silent. You may tell the officers that you invoke your right to remain silent and not speak to them.
- You have the right to ask for a lawyer and the right to remain silent.
YOU SHOULD NOT:
- Argue, resist or flee.
- Make or sign a statement that you are uncomfortable with, that is not correct, or that you don’t understand.
- Resist or try to harm an officer.
IF YOU ARE SEARCHED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT:
- You do not have to consent to a *search. If you do not wish to consent to a search, politely tell the officer, “I do not consent to this search.”
- Law enforcement may decide to continue the search if they have reasonable suspicion to conduct it, but by refusing consent, you protect your rights if you are arrested and charged with a crime.
- Law enforcement may not search your phone without a warrant.
*A search is when an officer looks through your belongings to investigate a crime. Voluntarily giving an officer your belongings, including your phone, is considered consenting to a search.*