Indiana’s Homeland Security director wants more clarification as to who can certify the training of school resource officers, the law enforcement personnel with extra training for the school environment.
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 said. “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.