{"id":74918,"date":"2024-11-19T00:00:26","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T05:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=74918"},"modified":"2024-11-19T00:00:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T05:00:26","slug":"why-school-police-officers-may-not-be-the-most-effective-way-to-prevent-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-school-police-officers-may-not-be-the-most-effective-way-to-prevent-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"Why school police officers may not be the most effective way to prevent violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

In 1975, only\u00a01% of public schools had their own police officers<\/a>. Today,\u00a044% do<\/a>. A large reason for the increase is the\u00a0Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994<\/a>, which led to the creation of the federal Community Oriented Policing Services to oversee funds for the hiring of police in schools. Another reason is the\u00a0Columbine High School massacre<\/a>\u00a0in 1999. From the federal government down to individual districts, the idea that schools need police officers to keep kids safe is prevalent.<\/p>\n

However, research shows that police officers in schools\u00a0don\u2019t always prevent violence<\/a>, including school shootings. In fact, their presence can\u00a0harm students<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are five reasons police in schools, also known as school resource officers, actually make students less safe in school:<\/p>\n

1. They don\u2019t address the root problems<\/strong><\/h4>\n

State legislators that advocate for police in schools believe that by\u00a0hardening schools<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 increasing police presence, adding metal detectors, requiring clear backpacks and mandating active-shooter safety drills \u2013\u00a0students will be safer from school shootings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Academic research supports a different strategy. Most school shooters are\u00a0known to administrators<\/a>\u00a0prior to committing assault. Many of these students struggle to make friends, experience challenges in their home lives and have\u00a0multiple behavioral and mental health needs that haven\u2019t been addressed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

School police officers cannot fix societal problems. Instead, researchers and\u00a0policy advocates recommend<\/a>\u00a0that districts invest in the people who are\u00a0better equipped to address these issues<\/a>, like social workers and therapists.<\/p>\n

2. Their role is not well defined<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The role of school police officers, as well as their training, varies from school to school. This means that some may have a more positive impact on students than others.<\/p>\n

Research shows that school resource officers are effective at detecting\u00a0drug-related activity<\/a>\u00a0on campus and addressing\u00a0violent crime<\/a>\u00a0related to gang activity in schools. But officers do not lower instances of\u00a0bullying and low-level crime<\/a>\u00a0like vandalism and schoolyard fights.<\/p>\n

School police officers play various roles on campus, but research shows that they are\u00a0most effective<\/a>\u00a0at helping students when they focus on specific types of crime occurring in the school or building relationships with the students who are known to commit them. When they\u00a0focus on punishment and discipline<\/a>, their effectiveness decreases.<\/p>\n

3. They do not increase students\u2019 feelings of safety<\/h4>\n

Most students either\u00a0do not realize that their school has a school resource officer<\/a>\u00a0or don\u2019t mind that one is present. In fact, most students report liking the officer at their school.<\/p>\n

However, students report that the presence of school resource officers\u00a0does not make them feel more positive about school safety and climate<\/a>. Students report feeling safe in the beginning of the year with officers in the building but feel\u00a0less safe<\/a>\u00a0as the year goes on. The more contact students have with an officer, for any reason, the\u00a0more disconnected<\/a>\u00a0they begin to feel. Researchers suggest a possible reason why is because they start to worry that their own behavior can result in harsh punishment.<\/p>\n

This can lead to other negative consequences, like\u00a0increased absenteeism<\/a>,\u00a0failure to graduate<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0delinquency outside of school<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Students who frequently encounter school police officers can begin to develop subconscious feelings that their school is unsafe,\u00a0particularly if their encounters were related to discipline<\/a>. Even students who don\u2019t directly interact with the officers, but witness other students get arrested, can begin to feel\u00a0afraid that they will be arrested for minor disturbances, too<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. They contribute to the \u2018school-to-prison pipeline\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Research shows that the presence of school police officers\u00a0increases the likelihood<\/a>\u00a0that a school will report common forms of student misbehavior, like cafeteria fights and vandalism, to law enforcement agencies \u2013 contributing to what is known as the \u201cschool-to-prison pipeline<\/a>\u201d by criminalizing such conduct.<\/p>\n

For example, schools that use on-campus police for law enforcement and other duties, like mentoring, are\u00a0118% more likely to record property crimes<\/a>\u00a0than schools without police. Schools that use officers primarily for student discipline and crime response report\u00a091% more nonserious crimes, property crimes and instances of disorderly conduct<\/a>\u00a0to police than similar schools that don\u2019t use school police.<\/p>\n

Supporters of school police officers may argue that reporting crimes keeps students safer. However, for some students, the consequences can be devastating and lifelong. For example, in one study,\u00a0North Carolina middle schools<\/a>\u00a0with on-campus police officers recorded 38% fewer violent offenses than schools without police. But they were also more likely to respond to student misconduct with harsher disciplinary practices such as school suspension, transfers to alternative learning environments, expulsions and referrals to police. Studies often find that these exclusionary responses are mostly experienced by\u00a0Black and Hispanic students<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. They sometimes infringe on students\u2019 rights<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students do not \u201cshed their constitutional rights<\/a>\u00a0to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, research is clear about the threats to students\u2019 rights that school police officers can pose. These include\u00a0invasion of privacy<\/a>,\u00a0unlawful searches and seizures<\/a>\u00a0and violations of rights of\u00a0students with disabilities and special education students<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Schools that plan to keep their police officers can follow these guidelines to ensure they are more effective in actually helping students:<\/p>\n