It started with DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). Sheriff James Lee Berrong saw the positive impact DARE was having on the students in Blount County’s elementary schools, so in the mid-1990s he sent deputies to check out the first SRO program in the State of Tennessee – Murfreesboro City Schools. That visit and the information gleaned from their successful program prompted Sheriff Berrong to start Blount County’s SRO program. With the full support of Blount County Schools, the program was launched with two SROs, one each at William Blount and Heritage High Schools. In the years that followed, Sheriff Berrong added additional SROs in all of Blount County’s schools. Working jointly with Blount County Schools and with the full support of the Blount County Commission, the SRO program continues to be a top priority for Sheriff Berrong. In 2026, there is an SRO at each of Blount County’s elementary and middle school and two SROs at William Blount High School, Heritage High School, and Eagleton College and Career Academy.

As one of the first SRO programs in Tennessee, the School Resource Officer program has blossomed into one of the best in the state. Other agencies across Tennessee and the country look to the BCSO SRO program as a model for their own programs. All SROs are handpicked, and all deputies involved in the program are trained in tactical response, crisis management, conflict resolution, and child development. SROs also train regularly on active shooter scenarios and other issues confronting our students and schools today.

School safety is and will continue to be a top priority for Sheriff Berrong.