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In 1975, only 1% of public schools had their own police officers. Currently, 44% do so. The primary reason for the increase is the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which established the federal Community Oriented Policing Service to oversee funding for police employment in schools. Another reason is the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. From the federal government to school districts, there is a widespread belief that schools need police officers to keep children safe.
However, research shows that school police officers do not always prevent violence, including school shootings. In fact, their presence can be harmful to students.
Here are five reasons why school police, also known as school resource officers, actually make students less safe at school.
1. It doesn’t address the fundamental problem.
State lawmakers advocating for police presence in schools are strengthening schools by increasing police presence, installing more metal detectors, requiring clear backpacks and requiring safety training for active shooters. I believe this will keep students safe from school shootings.
Academic research supports a different strategy. Most school shooters are known to administrators before committing their assaults. Many of these students struggle to make friends, experience difficulties in their home lives, and have multiple behavioral and mental health needs that are not being addressed.
School police officers cannot solve social problems. Instead, researchers and policy advocates recommend that school districts invest in people equipped to address these issues, such as social workers and therapists.
2. Their roles are not clearly defined
The role of school police officers and their training vary by school. This means that some may have a more positive impact on students than others.
Research has shown that school resource officers are effective in detecting drug-related activity on campus and addressing violent crimes related to gang activity within schools. But police officers do not discount instances of bullying or low-level crimes such as vandalism or schoolyard fights.
School police officers serve a variety of roles on campus, including focusing on specific types of crimes that occur within schools or building relationships with students known to have committed crimes. Research shows that it is most effective in helping students when they do so. The more we focus on punishment and discipline, the less effective it becomes.
3. It does not increase students’ sense of security.
Most students are not aware or do not care that their school has a school resource officer. In fact, most students report liking their school officials.
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However, students report that the presence of school resource officers makes them feel less positive about school safety and climate. Students report that at the beginning of the year they feel safe with police officers in their buildings, but as the year goes on, they feel less safe. For whatever reason, the more contact students have with police officers, the more they begin to feel isolated. Researchers suggest this may be because people begin to worry that their own actions will lead to harsher punishment.
This can lead to other negative consequences, such as increased absenteeism, failure to graduate, and delinquency outside of school.
Students who have frequent encounters with school police officers, especially if those encounters are discipline-related, may develop a subconscious belief that their school is unsafe. Even if students do not have direct contact with police officers, they may begin to fear that they too will be arrested after a minor disturbance, even if they witness another student being arrested.
4. Contributing to the “school-to-prison pipeline”
Research shows that the presence of school police officers increases the likelihood that schools will report common student misconduct, such as cafeteria fights and vandalism, to law enforcement, creating the so-called “school-to-prison pipe.” It is known that it contributes to the line. criminalize such acts;
For example, schools that have police on campus for tasks such as law enforcement and instruction are 118% more likely to record property crimes than schools without police. Schools that use police officers primarily for student discipline and crime response are more likely to report incidents of nonserious crimes, property crimes, and disorderly conduct to police than similar schools that do not use school police. 91% more reported.
Supporters of school police officers may argue that reporting crimes keeps students safe. But for some students, the consequences can be devastating and lifelong. For example, one study found that North Carolina middle schools with on-campus police officers recorded 38 percent fewer violent crimes than schools without police officers. However, students’ misbehavior was also likely to result in more severe disciplinary action, including suspension, transfer to an alternative learning environment, expulsion, and referral to the police. Research has found that these exclusionary reactions are primarily experienced by Black and Hispanic students.
5. May violate student rights
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students do not “abandon their constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression at the schoolhouse gates.”
However, research reveals the threat that school police officers pose to student rights. These include invasion of privacy, unlawful searches and seizures, and violation of the rights of students with disabilities and special education.
Schools that plan to deploy police officers can follow these guidelines to help their students more effectively in practice.
As schools across the country continue to grapple with how to keep students safe, a careful review of research shows that school police officers may not be the answer.
Presented by The Conversation
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Quote: Why school police are not the most effective way to prevent violence (November 19, 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-11-school-police- Retrieved November 19, 2024 from officers-popular-violence.html
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