Texas School Safety Center Completes Summer Of Training For School-Based Law Enforcement Officers

ROUND ROCK – Last week the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) is in Round Rock conducting the last of 10 four-day trainings for school-based law enforcement officers offered throughout the state this summer.

Hosted by the Round Rock Police Department and Region 13 Education Service Center, the trainings at the Round Rock Police Department Training Facility are serving 130 officers through two courses, introductory and intermediary school-based law enforcement, which are both accredited by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

“Our goal is to equip officers with the specific knowledge they need to be successful working in schools,” said Joe Munoz, program manager for school-based law enforcement for the TxSSC. “School-based law enforcement has evolved from the standard traditional methods the general public may be familiar with to a more specialized position.”

The courses cover a variety of topics including the history of school-based law enforcement, juvenile law, bullying and cyberbullying, responding to mental health crises in youth, gang awareness, the Standard Response Protocol, child exploitation and suicide prevention. 

More than 1,100 officers statewide participated in the courses this summer. The TxSSC will offer additional training, beginning in the fall, to enable officers to meet the new requirements for training established by changes to laws relating to school safety this legislative session.

The TxSSC is an official university-level research center at Texas State. Its mission is to serve schools and communities to create safe, secure and healthy environments.

The TxSSC provides safety and security information through research, training and technical assistance for K-12 schools and junior colleges throughout the state. To learn more about upcoming training and the resources the TxSSC offers, visit http://txssc.txstate.edu.