SVPOA SRO Position Statement
June 1, 2026
The Simi Valley Police Officers’ Association believes that every child deserves to learn in a safe, stable environment protected by properly trained, consistently present School Resource Officers.
Over the last decade, SVUSD has grown into a diverse district of more than 17,000 students spread across 28 campuses, yet the SRO program has never been staffed or supported at a level that matches the size and complexity of our schools. For years, school staff and SVPD personnel have raised concerns about the lack of a stable, fully staffed SRO program.
We fully support concrete, data-driven recommendations to improve school safety, early intervention, and relationships with students and families. We strongly believe that the current authorizations for just two SRO positions leaves SVUSD students, educators, and families are left without a daily, dedicated law enforcement presence on their campuses during school hours.
The current system creates a public safety gap as all school-related calls for service are handled by patrol officers pulled from the field on a standard priority basis. These officers work hard and respond professionally, but they are not embedded on campus, do not have the same specialized SRO training, and cannot provide the proactive, relationship based, school‑specific safety services that students and staff deserve. This reactive model creates critical holes in threat assessment, early intervention, and campus‑specific problem solving, and it no longer reflects the expectations of our community or the realities of modern school safety.
The SVPOA has not set any specific number of SROs or for any particular funding mechanism; those important decisions appropriately rest with City and Simi Valley Police administration, SVUSD leadership, and other elected bodies.
However it is clear to all, and it is the the Association’s position, that the current level of SRO coverage is inadequate. The current model o two SROs were never enough for this district and relying on a single SRO is unacceptable. Further pulling beat officers into random school calls is not a sustainable or responsible school safety strategy.
Students, parents, educators, and our broader community deserve a modern, well‑designed SRO program that is staffed, trained, and funded as a core public safety function, not as an afterthought.
The SVPOA therefore urges City and District leaders to acknowledge the existing gaps, commit to strengthening the SRO program, and work collaboratively and transparently to determine and fund the appropriate level of dedicated SRO staffing for SVUSD.
By doing so, Simi Valley can move from a reactive patchwork of coverage to a stable, proactive, school‑based safety partnership that protects our children, supports educators, and reflects our community’s shared commitment to safe, welcoming campuses.