Eagan Police Department reinstates school resource officer program

EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) - Eagan police said Thursday it will reinstate its school resource officer (SRO) program.

"We are happy to announce we’ve reinstated our SRO program, and look forward to working alongside staff and students in School District 196!" reads a short post on social media.

Earlier this week, the Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office also announced it would move to restart its SRO program at two schools, citing new clarity on a new state law. Last week, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued an opinion on the law, clarifying that resource officers did not need to wait until someone had been hurt to use reasonable force.

The SRO law, approved during the last legislative session, issued new restrictions on the use of force by school resource officers, including using the prone position. In the weeks leading into the school year, citing confusion over the law, several law enforcement agencies moved to pull their officers out of school.