School Crime and the Patterns of Roles of School Resource Officers: Evidence From a National Longitudinal Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 1606-1629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin W. Fisher ◽  
Deanna N. Devlin
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
National Level ◽  
School Resource Officers ◽  
School Crime ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
National Longitudinal Study ◽  
Drug Crime ◽  
Property Crimes ◽  
Role Profiles ◽  
School Resource

This study used national-level two-wave longitudinal data from school principals ( N = 850) to examine whether and the extent to which implementing school resource officers (SROs) with varying role profiles related to changes in crime recorded in schools and reported to police. We identified three common role profiles of SROs: Low Engagement, Full Triad, and Reactionary. Implementing SROs engaged primarily in law enforcement (i.e., Reactionary SROs) predicted increases in recording nonserious violent and property crimes and a decrease in reporting drug crime to the police, respectively. Implementing Full Triad SROs who were also engaged in additional roles (e.g., mentoring) predicted a reduction in recording nonserious violent crimes, but an increase in recording property crimes and reporting crime to law enforcement.

Kindergarten Cop: A Case Study of How a Coalition Between School Districts and Law Enforcement Led to School Resource Officers in Elementary Schools

2021 ◽  
pp. 016237372198929
Author(s):  
Samantha Viano ◽  
F. Chris Curran ◽  
Benjamin W. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
School Safety ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
School Resource Officers ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
Sheriff's Department ◽  
School Resource

Adopting school resource officers (SROs) is a popular response to school shootings. Using the advocacy coalition and multiple streams frameworks, we explore how school districts in one county formed a coalition with the Sheriff’s Department, adopting SROs in elementary schools following the Sandy Hook shooting. We describe how this coalition was bound together by shared beliefs on school safety and the goodness of law enforcement. The implementation activities of SROs related to the beliefs of the coalition, focusing on security and relationship building. The beliefs were not uniformly understood by SROs—many interpreted their role to include student discipline and managing behavior of students with disabilities. The findings show the utility of comparing policy adoption processes with implementation activities.

Effects of school resource officers on school crime and responses to school crime

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 905-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise C. Gottfredson ◽  
Scott Crosse ◽  
Zhiqun Tang ◽  
Erin L. Bauer ◽  
Michele A. Harmon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
School Resource Officers ◽  
School Crime ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
School Resource

The Alignment Between Community Policing and the Work of School Resource Officers

2022 ◽  
pp. 109861112110538
Author(s):  
Benjamin W. Fisher ◽  
Joseph McKenna ◽  
Ethan M. Higgins ◽  
Edward R. Maguire ◽  
Emily M. Homer
Keyword(s):  
Role Conflict ◽  
Community Policing ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Organizational Adaptation ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
School Resource Officers ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
School Crime ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
School Resource

Despite a growing literature showing the ineffectiveness of school resource officers (SROs) for reducing school crime, their use is widespread. Some of this ineffectiveness may arise from SROs’ experiences of role conflict due to their multi-faceted roles and conflicting expectations associated with following two authority structures. Community policing (CP) may offer a unifying perspective that can address some of these barriers. The current study uses data from 119 qualitative interviews with SROs from three U.S. states to examine the extent to which SROs’ activities align with three dimensions of CP: community partnerships, problem-solving, and organizational adaptation. This study finds that SROs’ described activities align well with these dimensions, suggesting that a CP framework may be a strong model for organizing and describing the work of SROs. This framework can be viewed as an initial proof of concept, and research may elaborate on the framework and assess its utility.

The Roles of Police Officers in Schools

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna N. Devlin ◽  
Denise C. Gottfredson
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Crime Prevention ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Prevention Strategy ◽  
School Resource Officers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
School Crime ◽  
Longitudinal Sample ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
School Survey

Deploying police officers, known as school resource officers (SROs), in schools is a popular school crime prevention strategy. This study tested whether specific SRO roles, rather than the presence or absence of SROs, influenced school crime and reporting of crimes to law enforcement differently. Specifically, schools with officers serving a law enforcement only role as well as those with officers who also teach and/or mentor (“mixed SROs”), were compared with schools without officers. The study used a longitudinal sample ( N = 480) from the School Survey on Crime and Safety for the years 2004, 2006, and 2008. Results suggest that the level of crime recording and reporting generally increased with SRO presence. Further, schools with law enforcement only SROs recorded more crimes than non-SRO schools, and contrary to hypotheses, schools with mixed SROs reported more crimes to law enforcement. Future research should expand on the typology of SROs used in this study.

Community Policing in Schools: Relationship-Building and the Responsibilities of School Resource Officers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Broll ◽  
Stephanie Howells
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Community Policing ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
School Resource Officers ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
Canadian City ◽  
American Schools ◽  
Sources Of Support ◽  
School Resource

Abstract School resource officers (SROs) have become nearly ubiquitous in North American schools in the last three decades. Most research on SROs has examined their impact on violence and disorder at school, yielding mixed results; however, it is widely accepted that traditional law enforcement responsibilities comprise only one element of SROs’ triad of responsibilities, which also includes teaching and counselling. Although their responsibilities are based in community policing models, little research has explored the place of community policing principles within the work of SROs. Drawing upon mixed methods data collected from school administrators and SROs in a large Canadian city, this study examines relationship-building within the context of SROs’ triad of responsibilities. The results suggest that SROs follow a community policing approach and strategically foster mutually beneficial relationships to support their law enforcement, teaching, and counselling objectives. Further, as a result of their established relationships, SROs are positioned as key sources of support for school administrators.

Handcuffs in Schools: Do School Resource Officers Fill a Role in Special Education?

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-82
Author(s):  
Whitney Meade
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Law Enforcement Officers ◽  
School Resource Officers ◽  
Behavior Intervention Plan ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
Intervention Plan ◽  
School Resource

When students with disabilities become agitated and physically aggressive, school resource officers (SROs) are often called to assist. This article addresses the question, “What is the role of the SRO when dealing with children who already have a behavior intervention plan (BIP) in place?” Faced with an increased presence of law enforcement officers in the nation’s school, administrators should be prepared to deal with these issues when they arise.

Do School Resource Officers Really Refer Juveniles to the Juvenile Justice System for Less Serious Offenses?

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. May ◽  
Raymond Barranco ◽  
Ethan Stokes ◽  
Angela A. Robertson ◽  
Stacy H. Haynes
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
School Resource Officers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Large Contribution ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
Police In Schools ◽  
School Resource

In this article, we use 3 years of youth court data from a southeastern state to examine whether referrals that originated from school resource officers (SROs) involve greater proportions of less serious offenses than referrals from other sources. Referrals from SROs during the 3-year period were similar to referrals by law enforcement outside of school for status and serious offenses. SROs were less likely than law enforcement officers outside of school to refer juveniles for minor offenses during the 3-year period. Our findings suggest that schools, not solely police in schools, make a large contribution to the number of juveniles referred to the juvenile justice system for less serious offenses. Implications for policy and future research are also discussed.

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