Loudoun County, VA (October 2, 2020) - Over the years Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers (SRO) have become an invaluable part of the daily activities at our schools where teachers feel safe to teach, and students feel safe to learn. The SROs serve as a mentor, teacher and guardian to Loudoun’s students. The SROs working within the school community leave a lasting impact.
Many students here in Loudoun County have not only followed in the footsteps of their SRO to join the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), but have become SROs themselves.
In 1996, the LCSO began its School Resource Officer (SRO) program on the heels of extraordinary growth in the county. This growth in population in the county brought with it new schools and a need for the expansion of the SRO program.
The LCSO initially began the SRO program with one deputy serving three high schools throughout the county. Today, there are 15 high schools and 15 middle schools served by the LCSO, with each served by an SRO.
As the program has continued to expand, so has the growing list of Loudoun County Public School alumni who have joined the LCSO. Several of those deputies are also proud members of the LCSO’s nationally recognized School Resource Officer program.
DFC Matthew Vess serves as the SRO from the same high school he graduated from in 2002. He had big shoes to fill following in the footsteps of his SRO at Loudoun Valley High School, now retired Master Deputy Bill Schoeb.
Deputy First Class Tavis Henry who is now the SRO at Stone Bridge High School followed in the footsteps of Captain Easton McDonald and Deputy First Class Mike Baker who both served as SROs at Briar Woods High School. Henry graduated from Briar Woods High School in 2010.
Deputy Ryan Thomasson, the SRO at Trailside Middle School, and Lt. Robert Tricarico, both attended Park View High School when Lt. Col. Christopher Hines served as one of the very first SRO’s with the LCSO. Lt. Tricarico oversaw the SRO program and now serves in the Operational Support Division.
DFC Christopher Horbatak is another of our SROs who followed in the footsteps of his SRO. He graduated from Stone Bridge High School in 2004 and followed in the footsteps of now retired DFC Jeff Proctor. DFC Horbatak now serves as the SRO at Harmony Middle School.
“Our deputies in the School Resource Office program are committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all students. They work countless hours before, during and after-school hours to build strong bonds with the schools they serve. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.
In 2018, the LCSO School Resource Officer Program was named one of the best School Resource Officers Units in the United States after receiving the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) Model Agency of the Year Award. The program was called “a shining example of the school resource officers program” by NASRO officials.
The LCSO was also recognized nationally for another of the agency’s school-based programs. In 2017, Sheriff Chapman was named the DEA/Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Law Enforcement Executive of the Year. The award is presented to a senior law enforcement officer who epitomizes an extraordinary commitment to drug prevention and enforcement.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s has had a presence in Loudoun County schools for over three decades when the D.A.R.E program was implemented in fifth grade classrooms in 1987.
The LCSO remains committed to our partnership with Loudoun County Public Schools, as the safety of our children is a top priority.