This article has been updated to reflect 2026 data and recent developments.
One of the challenges facing many public schools today is how to keep crime out of schools so that learning can take place more effectively. To address this need, many school districts across the country have created their own police departments, with law enforcement officials who do everything from teaching anti-drug classes to making arrests when necessary. These officers work with students and faculty every day, developing a rapport with students and heading many potential problems off at the pass.
The role of school-based law enforcement remains significant in 2026. The most recent national data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that 48% of public schools had a school resource officer present at least once a week during the 2023-24 school year.
This video explains why police add to school safety.
However, severe budget cuts at many schools have forced some districts to take a closer look at these police departments, even cutting staff in some areas. These decisions have not gone over well with school administrators, who believe officers are essential for maintaining a safe environment where students can come to learn every day.
On the other hand, districts with budgets intact have found ways to use law enforcement officials even more effectively, adding to their list of responsibilities to expand safety to school grounds and beyond.
Let’s visit some of these police departments across the country to find out how they add value to the educational system.
Duvall County Public Schools Add Officers, Save Money
In Jacksonville, Florida, the sheriff's department was in the process of transferring many of the school officer resource duties to the Duval Public School District when this article was originally published. This move was expected to triple the size of the school police force, while saving the district more than $1 million dollars.
Today, Duval County Public Schools continue to operate its own school police force. At least one Duval County School Police officer is assigned to every middle and high school. Elementary schools use a combination of local law enforcement agencies, contracted armed security, and school guardians to meet Florida's requirement that every school has at least one armed safe-school officer.
During the original transition, the school district planned to hire 59 school resource officers, including supervisors. The officers would work closely with school administrators, parents, and students to promote a safe environment that is conducive to studies. Officers would teach anti-drug and anti-bullying classes, respond to complaints, and make arrests when necessary.
The total cost of the original program was projected to be about $3 million, which was $1.2 million less than the district had been paying the Sheriff's Office for similar services.
In a significant 2026 update, Duval County Public Schools is also expanding weapons detection technology. The district approved a $2 million contract to begin installing systems at approximately 30 elementary schools each year beginning in 2026-27. Similar systems were installed at all middle schools during 2025-26.
This video explains how Code Red lockdowns work in the Duvall School District.
Adding Traffic Violations to School Officers' Repertoire
In Tulsa and Miami, school officers broadened their jurisdictions beyond school property. Both Tulsa Public Schools and Miami-Dade County allowed school officers to patrol the streets around the schools, writing traffic violations when necessary. This move addressed the safety concerns for students walking and riding bikes to school, allowing officers to enforce slower speed limits that protect those students before and after school hours.
Dwight Jackson, assistant chief of the TPS Campus Police Department, said at the time, "It's a great change, but it's going to be a busy change for us." The schools had 20 commissioned police officers, 14 marked and four unmarked police vehicles to patrol the streets and issue violations when necessary.
Tulsa Public Schools continue to operate its Campus Police Department in 2026. According to Tulsa Public Schools, the district currently has a Campus Police school resource officer at each high school, school safety officers patrolling throughout the district, and a Campus Police dispatch team available 24 hours a day.
In Miami-Dade, police statistics cited in the original article showed that there were 722 car accidents near schools during the year covered by the report. At the time, "Operation Slow Your Roll" encouraged drivers around the school to observe the reduced speed limit signs or receive a traffic violation that could cost up to $600.
Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Charles Hurley said on the website at the time, "We've got a tremendous demonstration of collaboration to protect the children."
The Miami-Dade Schools Police Department continues to provide law enforcement services to the district, including school resource officer services and districtwide safety support.
This video reports on the Miami School District hiring more police officers.
California Police Departments Not So Lucky
While other school districts were expanding the services of their campus police departments, many California schools were facing severe cutbacks in this area when this article was originally published. At the time, crime was on the rise at some California schools, while police officers on campuses were getting cut, much to the chagrin of the faculty and staff that worked at these schools. San Diego Schools Police Chief Don Braun told KPBS that the shortage of officers had led to more crime in some schools.
"Violent crime in schools has risen 31 percent," Braun said. "Property crime has risen 12 percent. Weapons violations have gone up almost 8 percent. The school police in San Diego agreed at the time that more students were using deadly weapons in fights or assaults, and they expected the numbers to get even worse as more officers were cut from the school force. If cuts continued to be made, school districts would have to outsource police services, which could lead to a loss of public safety grant money.
These figures are historical and should not be interpreted as current 2026 San Diego school crime statistics.
Nationally, school resource officers continue to have a substantial presence in public schools. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 61% of public schools had one or more security staff present at least once a week in 2021-22. Security staff were more common in secondary and middle schools than in elementary schools.
The responsibilities of school resource officers also remain broader than law enforcement alone. The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services describes school resource officers as serving roles that include law enforcement, informal counseling, education, and emergency management. The federal guidance also emphasizes that routine student discipline should remain the responsibility of school personnel.
Police on school campuses have a variety of responsibilities to fulfill, but their presence is only one part of the broader school safety picture. Public School Review's School Safety & Shootings: 2026 Update examines recent data trends, prevention strategies, and guidance for parents and educators.
Police on school campuses have a variety of responsibilities to fulfill, but their presence has long been intended to contribute to safer schools and a higher quality of learning environment. For those districts facing budget and possible officer cuts, the results could be far-reaching. In 2026, the debate also includes how school resource officers fit within broader safety strategies that include emergency planning, threat assessment, mental health support, security technology, and relationships between students and school personnel.
