Who Can Certify Police To Work In Indiana Schools?

Flickr / Nicole Mays

A school resource officer visits a classroom.

The director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security says a new state program providing grants to put more law enforcement professionals in schools includes too broad a definition of a school resource officer.

More from IPBS statehouse reporter Brandon Smith:

Legislation passed last session defines school resource officer in the Indiana code, spelling out what credentials and training the officers must receive.

The bill also identifies four entities that are allowed to train school resource officers: the Indiana law enforcement training board, the National Association of School Resource Officers, a certified school resource officer instructor and any other organization that offers certified school resource officer instruction.

State Homeland Security director John Hill says those options are too broad.

“Schools are going to want to hire school resource officers and I want to be able to tell them, ‘They’ve had training and they need to have certification training from this body,’” Hill says. “And I want to be sure I can tell them who that is.”

Hill says he’d prefer that authority rest solely with the law enforcement training board.  The clarification Hill wants may require further legislation next session.