Petition Language:  "We support continued use of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office as the long-term provider of School Resource Officers for Round Rock ISD's SRO program. We oppose establishment of a Round Rock ISD police department."

Background 

Round Rock ISD should continue its relationship with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) because it has served the best interest of students, parents, school staff and taxpayers for many years.  Establishing a District police department will have unintended negative consequences, including but not limited to:

1. Difficulty attracting and retaining the best personnel due to lack of career opportunity, and gaps in coverage due to attrition;
2. Higher costs, especially since a District PD will have to duplicate infrastructure and administrative overhead that the WCSO already has in place;
3. Reduced accountability and transparency by concentrating power under the Superintendent, who will be able to control the narrative about crime and safety in schools; and
4. Increased potential for SROs to be drawn into disciplinary matters, which is not their proper role and contributes to anxiety among students and parents.