Bossier Parish schools enhance safety with SRO training focus

BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Bossier Parish Schools and the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office (BPSO) are doing their part to ensure students, faculty, and staff are safe at all Bossier public schools.

During the week of July 28, BPSO deputies completed 40 hours of rigorous School Resource Officer (SRO) training. The training covered a wide range of topics, and on July 31, it included active shooter scenarios.

Superintendent Jason Rowland explains how important the training is.

“What makes our SROs unique is they go through a lot of training, a lot of planning, a lot of preparation, for things we hope never happen,” he explains.

“Literally a blessing and a forward-thinking move on our parish about keeping our schools, keeping our students, and also keeping our community safe,” Rowland also shares.

The training is meant to be as real as possible. With blank rounds being shot to emulate real gunfire, actors playing students as well as perpetrators, and sound effects playing on a speaker to fully immerse deputies in their training.

“You can’t have school unless you have safe school. So these deputies, they’re primary job every single day, is to make sure every child and every staff member at that school is safe,” explains Captain Adam Johnson, Director of Security for Bossier Parish Schools.

Capt. Johnson also shares that every public school in Bossier Parish has at least one armed officer on campus, and every public high school has two officers.