• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • “Take care of your veterans”: Massachusetts police save suicidal...
        The problems with loyalty
        My experience being a Black woman in policing
        Tucson tries new tact to fight crime
        2022 Top Cops
    • Labor
      • Philadelphia may rehire officers and civilian employees to fill...
        Chicago police recruit Marines to help address officer shortage
        Illinois State Police announce lateral training program with added...
        The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law...
        NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
    • Tech
      • NYPD deploys K-9s with innovative electronic harness to prevent...
        Understanding end-to-end encryption apps
        Local law enforcement agencies learn to recover stolen cryptocurrency
        New York mayor proposes gun detection scanners after rise in subway...
        Hacker group steals data from multiple law enforcement data systems...
    • Training
      • An equation for performing lawful Terry stops
        A Connecticut police chief says his department needs more drug...
        “The hidden danger is the water”
        Weapon retention
        Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
    • Policy
      • Philadelphia spends almost a billion dollars on policing in new...
        Supreme Court decision protects police officers against civil...
        Chicago police limit foot pursuits under new policy intended to...
        Putting the brakes on wandering cops
        Detroit police team up with federal law enforcement agencies to fight...
    • Health/Wellness
      • True detectives: Psychological realities of investigative work
        Effective use of chaplain services
        Things I learned as a retiree
        Normalization of deviance
        The nobility of policing
    • Community
      • Miami Heat and nonprofit build bridges between law enforcement and...
        Right place, right time: Off-duty Florida police officer braves house...
        Community steps up to support Rhode Island police officer brothers...
        Safety exchange zones
        Crime problems are community problems
    • Offbeat
      • Iowa police and fire agencies, community team up to rescue bulldog...
        Buzz fuzz: NYPD “bee unit” officers remove swarms from various...
        Only in Florida: Police snipers provide backup during...
        Longtime Maryland con man arrested for impersonating U.S. marshal
        Seattle cancels and refunds seven months of parking tickets due to...
    • We Remember
      • Memorializing our fallen sisters
        Paying Tribute to Fallen Heroes
        National Law Enforcement Memorial expands to accommodate more names
        National Police Week
        “It’s not enough to never forget anymore”
  • On the Job
    • “Take care of your veterans”: Massachusetts police save suicidal...
      The problems with loyalty
      My experience being a Black woman in policing
      Tucson tries new tact to fight crime
      2022 Top Cops
  • Labor
    • Philadelphia may rehire officers and civilian employees to fill...
      Chicago police recruit Marines to help address officer shortage
      Illinois State Police announce lateral training program with added...
      The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law...
      NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
  • Tech
    • NYPD deploys K-9s with innovative electronic harness to prevent...
      Understanding end-to-end encryption apps
      Local law enforcement agencies learn to recover stolen cryptocurrency
      New York mayor proposes gun detection scanners after rise in subway...
      Hacker group steals data from multiple law enforcement data systems...
  • Training
    • An equation for performing lawful Terry stops
      A Connecticut police chief says his department needs more drug...
      “The hidden danger is the water”
      Weapon retention
      Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
  • Policy
    • Philadelphia spends almost a billion dollars on policing in new...
      Supreme Court decision protects police officers against civil...
      Chicago police limit foot pursuits under new policy intended to...
      Putting the brakes on wandering cops
      Detroit police team up with federal law enforcement agencies to fight...
  • Health/Wellness
    • True detectives: Psychological realities of investigative work
      Effective use of chaplain services
      Things I learned as a retiree
      Normalization of deviance
      The nobility of policing
  • Community
    • Miami Heat and nonprofit build bridges between law enforcement and...
      Right place, right time: Off-duty Florida police officer braves house...
      Community steps up to support Rhode Island police officer brothers...
      Safety exchange zones
      Crime problems are community problems
  • Offbeat
    • Iowa police and fire agencies, community team up to rescue bulldog...
      Buzz fuzz: NYPD “bee unit” officers remove swarms from various...
      Only in Florida: Police snipers provide backup during...
      Longtime Maryland con man arrested for impersonating U.S. marshal
      Seattle cancels and refunds seven months of parking tickets due to...
  • We Remember
    • Memorializing our fallen sisters
      Paying Tribute to Fallen Heroes
      National Law Enforcement Memorial expands to accommodate more names
      National Police Week
      “It’s not enough to never forget anymore”
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

On the Job

School resource officer programs

Path to arrests or reform?

Robert Spinks Published August 18, 2021 @ 8:00 am PDT

iStock.com/eddtoro

Prior to the 1950s, the concept of a school resource officer (SRO) was not widely heard of. Most educational interactions between schools and local law enforcement were done on an informal basis and by request. Such topics as bicycle safety, child molesters and traffic safety were common.

Today, SRO programs have evolved into a nationally accepted system of assigning law enforcement officers within the educational environment. The SRO acts on law-related issues, violence diffusion, safety programs, alcohol and drug use prevention, and crime prevention. The SRO takes a personal interest in students and their activities while being a resource for teachers, parents and students.

History of SRO programs

In 1973, the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals advised all law enforcement agencies to provide at least one annual presentation to every grade level in their jurisdiction related to the law enforcement officer’s role in society. Additionally, it was recommended that agencies with over 400 employees assign a full-time officer to each junior and senior high school to counsel students and enforce the law. This declaration gave school resource officer programs their first national recognition (The Atlantic,
September 2015).

The 1999 Columbine High School shootings triggered calls for stronger policing presence in schools. Between 1999 and 2005, more than 6,500 new SROs were deployed across the country. The Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 further incited interest in using SROs as armed security. 

SROs today and the school-to-jail pipeline argument

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are roughly 46,000 school resource officers patrolling the halls of America’s schools. SROs can be found in 42% of schools across America, with 57% of schools having some sort of security presence (New York Times, March 29, 2018), responsible “for safety and crime prevention in schools,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

SRO programs have not been without their critics. There are accusations that SROs have contributed to developing a school-to-jail pipeline. Zero-tolerance disciplinary policies have resulted in more students than ever in the courthouse rather than the principal’s office (Best Schools magazine, March 2016). According to the Washington Post, nearly 70% of school police officers report regular involvement in disciplinary matters. Viral videos tell a visceral and disturbing story. High-visibility use-of-force incidents involving students have also brought criticism.

Students using cellphones against school rules, swearing at a teacher, having water balloon fights or throwing spitballs do not belong in handcuffs, police cars or courtrooms. When SROs are pushed into the world of misbehavior, behavioral issues and minor infractions, the line between matters that call for police intervention and those that call for the action of an experienced educator is blurred. 

Student behavioral challenges have always been present in schools and should be managed with disciplinary measures by school staff. Students’ capacity for impulse control, decision-making, managing emotions and fully considering the consequences of one’s actions are still in the developmental stage. 

Entering students into the juvenile justice system for such mistakes is to impose long-term consequences, increasing the likelihood that a child will end up in the juvenile justice system — and later, as a byproduct of these experiences, adult prisons. Unlike a patrol officer who may respond to a street crime, an SRO needs to evaluate the totality of circumstances in a school setting, diverting youth away from the juvenile justice system whenever school-generated correction and discipline is an option. Educators and SROs should be partners in recognizing the root cause of recurrent disciplinary challenges and finding the proper response for each student. 

It is incumbent upon SROs to recognize the difference between disciplinary infractions and criminal behavior. This places the onus on police departments to ensure that the mission and duties of SROs are clearly outlined in memorandums of understanding. MOUs ensure that school officials are responsible for discipline, while SROs focus on embracing what the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) considers a best practice, the “triad concept.” This defines the role of an SRO as an educator (i.e., guest lecturer), informal counselor/mentor and law enforcement officer (Police1.com, Feb. 13, 2019). Captain Justin Chapman of the Sandy Police Department in Utah, a national SRO trainer, adds a fourth role: emergency manager. This additional role adds SROs to the process of developing safety plans and strategies linking school administrators with local first responders.

Building community trust

SROs are among the most visible and accessible police officers in a community. This fact alone means they steward an important responsibility. As the liaison between the police department and community, the impression an SRO leaves with students will influence how members of the community perceive police officers in a more general sense. 

Building relationships, reinforcing positive behaviors, and connecting youth with needed resources are key for a successful SRO program. 

SRO training

A recurring theme in debates over SROs involves training. In June 2019, the NBC Today show highlighted several incidents caught on camera in which police officers used excessive force against children as young as 6. Unfortunately, a string of disturbing events involving SROs undermines the value of the program and the role of SROs as a positive presence in school communities.

Many large educational organizations, such as the National PTA, the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of School Psychologists, support SROs in schools but want reforms. These organizations have called for more training, stricter standards for the selection of SROs, the inclusion of school principals in the assignment process and annual evaluations that consider disproportionate rates of enforcement by race, gender and ability (National Association for Secondary School Principals, August 2020).

While there has been some discussion in select school districts and political circles about eliminating SROs, that remains highly unlikely. Creating defined standards for training and clearly outlining the mission and role of SROs in the school environment is critical. 

Being an SRO today is more than a transfer from patrol to a school. Success will require a change in policing mentality and knowledge of rules and laws that govern school policing. Search and seizure, free speech, Miranda and interacting with adolescent behaviors are considerably different in a school setting as compared to general police work. Parent interaction, partnering with counselors and teachers, class presentations, and de-escalation require ongoing and expansive training for SROs to be successful.

Robert Spinks

Robert Spinks

Robert Spinks is the chief of police in Parsons, Kansas. He is also an instructor and adjunct faculty at the University of Arizona Global Campus and Labette Community College. Community policing information can be downloaded from parsonspd.com. 

View articles by Robert Spinks

As seen in the August 2021 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: On the Job

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Philadelphia spends almost a billion dollars on policing in new budget aimed at addressing gun violence
  • Miami Heat and nonprofit build bridges between law enforcement and community
  • Right place, right time: Off-duty Florida police officer braves house fire to rescue trapped children
  • “Take care of your veterans”: Massachusetts police save suicidal veteran
  • Iowa police and fire agencies, community team up to rescue bulldog stuck in sinkhole
  • Community steps up to support Rhode Island police officer brothers who lost everything in a house fire
  • Supreme Court decision protects police officers against civil lawsuits over Miranda rights violations
  • NYPD deploys K-9s with innovative electronic harness to prevent terrorist attacks
  • The problems with loyalty
  • Chicago police limit foot pursuits under new policy intended to enhance officer safety and public trust

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2022 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close
Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.