Police in Schools are Prevention, Not Cuff-n-Stuff, Programs
Civil rights advocates who portray police in schools as overly arresting kids are simply wrong.
Police officers who work in schools, commonly known as School Resource Officers (SROs), generally perform more as prevention programs where officers prevent incidents versus taking on a ”cuff’n'stuff” role with the intent of increasing student arrests.
That’s not stopping civil rights and other special interest groups to claim, as was done in this suburban Cleveland news article, that “Stories abound of ever-younger children being pulled out of the classroom for seemingly minor infractions, only to end up with a criminal record from a young age.” (ACLU says police respond to schools too often)
Two recent news stories highlight school-based police officers in a much more accurate and positive light than do a number of other recent articles, books, and other politically-driven attacks upon police in schools:
- Study says officers help deter crime in schools: A research study in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, concluded that school resource officers are effective. The study found it normal for reported crimes to increase after officers are placed inside schools. The university professor leading the study said it does not necessarily mean more crimes are being committed, but that officers are reporting offenses that might have otherwise gone unreported.
- Wake survey praises having armed officers in schools. In Raleigh, North Carolina, school administrators praised the effectiveness of armed officers in their schools. Survey data of school administrators showed “strong support” from middle and high school principals for the SRO program. School officials presented data showing a 54% drop in violent incidents in the district’s middle and high schools over the past six years.
These findings are consistent with my surveys of SROs back to 2001.
The findings are also consistent with my first-hand work with SROs across the country.
It is time to call out the civil rights activists who continue to hi-jack school safety to further their social and political agendas. As we peel back the layers of some recent reports, books, and news stories, you may be surprised to see who is behind these publications and the biases these individuals and organizations bring to the table.
Stay tuned for more on the latest political assault upon school safety!
Ken Trump
Visit School Security Blog at: http://www.schoolsecurityblog.com
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Tags: civil rights and school safety, school police, school resource officers, school security, zero tolerance
