NCJ Number
232120
Date Published
April 2010
Length
70 pages
Annotation
This guide, part of the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police, Response Guides Series, examines the use of police officers in public schools.
Abstract
Police officers assigned to public schools are commonly referred to as school resource officers (SROs) and serve a variety of roles including safety expert and law enforcer, problem solver and liaison to community resources, and educator. Over the past years, assigning police officers to schools has become increasingly popular, especially with the increase in funding from the Federal Government to support local initiatives. This response guide, part of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing Response Guide Series, is intended to supplement school-related Problem-Specific Guides that deal with bullying in schools, acquaintance rape of college students, underage drinking, bomb threats in schools, school vandalism and break-ins, and traffic congestion around schools. The guide is divided into three sections that examine the roles for SROs, what is known about the effectiveness of assigning police officers to schools, and deciding when and how to assign police officers to schools. The guide is intended for use by the many professionals responsible for school safety: police, school officials, community members, students, teachers, and elected officials, with particular interest for police and school administrators deciding whether to establish an SRO program, and for those seeking to manage an existing SRO program. Figure, tables, appendix, endnotes, references