Security experts understand that, for maximum effectiveness, a school’s security infrastructure should encompass multiple systems. But, not all security approaches are created equal. While a comprehensive security plan uses multiple elements that work in tandem, where’s the line between effective and excess?
Our series, A Parent’s Guide to School Security attempts to provide objective answers and important information to help keep you up to date on school security best practices, starting with School Resource Officers.
Before the epidemic of school shootings, School Resource Officers (SROs) were present in only 1% of schools. Today, that number exceeds 40%. As school-based policing continues to be one of the fastest-growing sectors of law enforcement, parents and students need to be aware of:
- An SROs role at school
- The pros and cons of an SRO on campus
- SRO program best practices
- Whether or not SROs are effective at keeping students safe
The Basics: What is a School Resource Officer?
The goals of many SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with students, and protecting all youth and staff, so that they can reach their fullest potential.
To do so, a School Resource Officer’s duties officially include:
- Educating students in crime and illegal drug use prevention and safety
- Developing or expanding community justice initiatives for students
- Training students in conflict resolution, restorative justice, and crime and illegal drug use awareness.
But their responsibilities don’t stop there. One study by Texas State University interviewed a small sample of 26 SROs from across Texas. These interviews revealed that, in addition to their law enforcement role, 46% of SROs described their role as that of a social worker, 38% described their role as an educator, and 35% described their role as being a surrogate parent.
SROs are Not Sworn Police Guards
A school resource officer (SRO), by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority who is deployed in community-oriented policing and assigned to work in collaboration with schools and community-based organizations to fulfill specific duties.
Compared to patrol officers, SROs spent more time on non-crime service-related activities, such as giving advice, medical assistance, community relations activities, and traffic direction. SROs also had higher levels of job satisfaction when compared to patrol officers.
But SROs CAN Charge Students with a Crime
Parents and students should be aware that committing a crime on school grounds can land them in worse places than the principal’s office. Additionally, what a student says to an SRO, school staff and other students can be used against him or her in juvenile court.
But even rule-breakers have rights. Especially important is are their rights to be protected from an “unreasonable search or seizure” or from being questioned in a “custodial” setting when they are in school, at a school event, or on school property.
Pro: Studies Suggest SROs Effectively Deter Active Shooters
Some researchers have attempted to gauge whether school resource officers are proven to make schools safer.
A Congressional Research Service report released after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 said that some studies suggested that the officers’ presence deterred assaults and discouraged students from bringing weapons to campus3.
Con: Some Worry that SROs Criminalize Student Conduct
As the number of schools that employed an SRO grew, so did juvenile arrests. This led to public concern that the presence of a law enforcement officer on school grounds was creating a “school-to-prison pipeline.”
A study by researchers at Mississippi State University examined statewide juvenile court data from 2009 through 2011. They wanted to see if charges brought by SROs differed from charges brought by other types of officers.
The study found that, although they are exposed to more student criminal and misconduct situations than city police officers, SROs arrest students at an equal rate.
The evidence in this study also suggests that when SROs do arrest students, they tended to downgrade the severity of the charges against the student to disorderly conduct rather than an assault or felony charge.
“You can’t criminalize behavior. It is either criminal, or it is not,” Mo Canady, NASRO Executive Director, says. “Most SROs serve as really effective filters to arrest. We could arrest kids for disorderly conduct all day long, but what good would it do?”
Qualities of a Great SRO
Along with a willingness to develop partnerships with students, parents, families, community organizations, and school administrators, The Police Foundation, every school-based officer should exhibit these qualities:
- Past coaching or mentoring experience
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- An understanding of teen use of social media
- A positive attitude
- Previous experience as a patrol officer
- Recognition that student success is the primary outcome sought
- Understanding of child development and psychology
While those attributes are integral to an SRO providing daily value to students, it is also vital that each school screens potential officers for an understanding of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and a thorough knowledge of school safety technology and implementation.
SRO Program Best Practices
After Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School SRO failed to do his job, instead remaining outside the school on Feb. 14 while a former student, Nikolas Cruz, shot 17 people to death inside, questions have been raised as to the effectiveness of SRO programs.
Dr. Jeffery Walker, an expert in Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama Birmingham, states “One philosophy is a school resource officer is there to be a mentor, to be a helper, be like a coach. Those situations tend to work out very well.”
Dr. Walker continued to say that SROs can be very effective in preventing school violence, but cautions they need to be properly selected and part of a law enforcement agency with a philosophy aligned with community policing.
Further Reading
- Local SRO program described as positive for students
- How one Calif. SRO is helping kids be safer on social media
- School resource officers helping students become successful
- Role of the School Resource Officer Tutorial
- New Jersey Launches Program for SRO-trained Special Law Enforcement Officers
- 3 steps to SRO success: How to be a good cop in school
Resources:
- McKenna, J. M., Martinez-Prather, K., & Bowman, S. W. (2016). The roles of school-based law enforcement officers and how these roles are established: a qualitative study. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 27(4), 420-443.
- Students Have Rights When Searched or Questioned at School
- James, Nathan; McCallion, Gail. “School Resource Officers: Law Enforcement Officers in Schools.” 2013. PDF file.
- May, D. C., Barranco, R., Stokes, E., Robertson, A. A., & Haynes, S. H. (2016). Do school resource officers really refer juveniles to the juvenile justice system for less serious offenses? Criminal Justice Policy Review.
