Officers and School Settings

Despite growing numbers of school police personnel, little research has examined how school environments influence officers assigned to school resource officer (SRO) programs. This study explored officers’ perceptions of their roles and job satisfaction. Fifty-two SROs from a statewide Midwestern region were matched to 320 patrol officers at a Midwestern agency. Propensity score matching analyses revealed, compared with patrol officers, SROs performed fewer law enforcement and order maintenance tasks, reported lower levels of role ambiguity and conflict, and were more satisfied along one dimension of job satisfaction. Findings indicated officers in a specialized position were protected from sources of role ambiguity and conflict resulting in greater job satisfaction, which poses implications for improving job performance and officer wellbeing.