The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is renewing its push to place armed School Resource Officers in every elementary school, arguing that the youngest campuses are now seeing a growing share of school-shooting incidents. Sheriff Mike Chapman’s office is pitching a phased, four-year rollout that would add about 15 SROs per year and is urging residents to speak up as the county’s FY27 budget takes shape.
In a Facebook post, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office asked supporters to contact the board chair and members of the Board of Supervisors about the plan. In its own report, "Expanding SROs to Elementary Schools in Loudoun County," the office notes that elementary-school shooting incidents rose from seven in 2015–16 to 82 in 2021–22 and now account for roughly a quarter of schools with shootings. That document, cited throughout the sheriff’s public outreach, lays out a step-by-step implementation schedule and cost estimates, and is available through the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
What the data show
Federal education figures from the U.S. Department of Education indicate that elementary schools made up about 25.7% of schools with shootings in 2021–22, based on a national school-shooting database. The National Center for Education Statistics table that tracks casualties, incidents and the number of schools with shootings is the basis for that share, which mirrors the trend the sheriff’s office is highlighting.
Loudoun’s local picture and the budget pitch
Locally, the sheriff’s office reports that deputies responded to more than 4,000 school-related calls in the 2024–25 school year, including roughly 1,500 at elementary campuses that do not currently have an on-site SRO. To change that, the LCSO has floated an FY27 startup cost of about $6.7 million, with recurring annual costs estimated at roughly $17.7 million to $18 million once the program is fully up and running.
The debate over SROs
Chapman and his team argue that SROs act as first responders, mentors and deterrents to violence, and the LCSO report points to case studies and research that it says support those roles. Independent academic research, however, paints a more complicated picture. A 2023 national analysis found that SROs can reduce some types of school violence but tend to increase suspensions, expulsions and police referrals, and it did not find evidence that SROs prevent gun-related incidents.
What happens next
Funding for Phase 1 of the LCSO proposal is expected to be taken up as part of Loudoun County’s FY27 budget process. County budget materials list public-input sessions and hearings during the week of Feb. 26, and the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider final adoption in early April, which leaves residents a relatively short window to weigh in.
For now, the sheriff’s push is poised to spark a budget fight between public-safety advocates who want more armed officers on campus and critics who warn that ramping up law-enforcement presence in elementary schools could bring unintended consequences. “Highly trained School Resource Officers in our elementary schools are essential to keeping Loudoun safe,” Sheriff Chapman said in the office’s public release.
