LPS and LPD release new data about Lincoln’s School Resource Officers program

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – School Resource Officers are a familiar presence to students and staff in Lincoln Public Schools.

Many times, SRO’s are the first to respond to incidents on school grounds.

On Thursday, LPS and LPD presented data that the two agencies collected in collaboration on what type of incidents SRO’s respond to the most, among other details that will help keep kids safe.

“It’s peace of mind for parents, it’s peace of mind for staff, it’s peace of mind for students in a lot of cases, because there is that presence of a school resource officer there,” said Ryan Zabawa, the Director of Student Services at LPS.

“So, [if] something really bad was to occur, we have a first responder immediately,” he said.

Zabawa adds that the data not only shows that students feel safer with SROs around, but they also feel listened to and respected when an SRO answers their call.

The calls for service, or CFS’s that school resource officers respond to range from vandalism to threats.

The 2025-2026 school year, Lincoln Middle Schools saw a startling increase in threat assessment calls which are up by 4,000 percent.

Zabawa explains.

“[If] a student makes a single statement about a threat to harm; we’re going to follow up on it. So, we’ve increased our capacity within our safety team to be able to investigate every one of those things thoroughly,” he said.

“And, we have a system of reporting that’s very robust in our districts.”

LPD Crime Analyst Manager Jeff Peterson says an increase in any type of call can actually be beneficial.

“It’s not necessarily increase, it’s that recognition that we’re seeing and working with the students and it’s a very proactive type of program,” said Peterson.

He adds that calls reveal what types of resources are then needed to help students.

LPS has a total of 16 SRO’s across Lincoln; one at every high school and one for every two middle schools.

Two additional SRO’s have been added to the mix this current school year.

As police officers themselves, LPD says SRO’s are equipped for the role before entering the building.

“Officers have to apply for it and have to be selected,” said LPD crime analyst, Trisha Todd.

“They have to have three years of law enforcement experience and when they go through that process, they take a look at everything that they’ve done throughout their career as far as past supervisors, feedback on what they’ve been doing and interest in what they’ll be doing in the schools,” said Todd.

The newly released report also shows that based on top calls for the 2025-2026 school year, assaults are down by 43% from the previous four years, and larceny is also down by 74% from the 2015 to 2019 average.

LPS responding, explaining that the partnership with LPD is still growing.