SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS- Part 3: Concluding Thoughts

The death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has put School Resource Officers in the cross hairs of activists who see no need for police on school campuses or who see their presence as a detriment to student safety and welfare.

The Edmonds School District ended its ties with local police departments to provide SRO’s in its schools, citing inequitable discipline for minorities. The Seattle School District has taken a similar step.

Lt. Rebecca Lewis of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office was an SRO for two school districts. She maintains that sending minorities to jail is not a goal for SRO’s. In an email interview she said, “Their (SRO’s) ultimate goal is to keep juveniles out of the criminal justice system through mentoring and positive interactions with law enforcement who truly care about their future and well-being.”

She says that SRO’s use the precepts of “procedural justice” in their contacts with students.

Procedural justice promotes fairness in resolving disputes, positive organizational change, good relations with the community and enhances officer safety. Procedural justice is based on 4 precepts:

 

·         Fairness and consistency in applying rules

·         Voice and representation in a process

·         Transparency and openness

·         Impartiality and unbiased decision making

 

The videos that we have been seeing in the news of police beating, shooting, and killing blacks undermines any sense of fairness, impartiality, or transparency. No matter the facts, the perception of discrimination has become overwhelming. And there have been videos and stories in the past of police roughly handling teens in class, or of even handcuffing grade schoolers.

Part of what may be uneven treatment may be the fact that implementing SRO programs is a local matter. There are no national, or in many cases, state standards. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) offers training nationwide, but it does not train all SRO’s.

The growth of SRO’s in schools has been due to fear of juvenile crime and the epidemic of school shootings starting in the 1990’s. Many local police agencies and school districts may have viewed a police officer as limited to patrolling school grounds and responding to a low percentage active shooter incident. 

The high-minded goal of an SRO is, and should be, more than patrolling school hallways. Modern crime prevention thinking places police officers as part of the community, not separate from it. For success in preventing crime, police need to work with the community as part of a team. Different team players contribute different talents that can lead to success.

The disconnect between critics of SRO’s and local police needs to be alleviated if we are to continue to have a secure society and secure schools. Police departments and Sheriff’s Offices need to reach out to the community more now than at any time in recent history. They need to listen to the community, even if what they hear is difficult. Then they need to work with the community to find new ways to prevent crime.

 

 SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS- Part 1: The Argument For

https://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2020/09/school-resource-officers-part-1.html

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS- Part 2: The Argument Against

https://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2020/09/school-resource-officers-part-2.html

 

Lynnwood Times:

https://lynnwoodtimes.com/2020/08/12/esd-board-dissolves-school-resource-officer-program-in-contrast-with-student-support/

The Herald:

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/edmonds-school-board-cuts-school-resource-officer-contracts/

The Seattle Times:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/seattle-schools-chief-announces-one-year-suspension-of-partnership-with-seattle-police-department/

 https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/fight-for-police-free-schools-has-been-years-in-the-making/

National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice:

https://trustandjustice.org/resources/intervention/procedural-justice

National Public Safety Partnership:

https://www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org/clearinghouse/Content/ResourceDocuments/Procedural%20Justice%20for%20Law%20Enforcement%20-%20An%20Overview.pdf

US News and World Report:

https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/01/30/are-school-resource-officers-part-of-the-school-to-prison-pipeline-problem

 

 

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS- Part 2: The Argument Against

The presence of armed police on school campuses provokes some to protest. They claim that police are not suited to working with students and that they facilitate a “school to prison pipeline” that along with “Zero Tolerance” policies “pushes students out of school and into the criminal justice environment.

One organization that advocates removing police from schools is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that published a report on the subject in 2017 called “Bullies In Blue, The Origins and Consequences of School Policing.”

The report says that Black and Latino students are disproportionately affected by the presence of SRO’s on campus. It claims that "As of 2013, 51 percent of high schools with majority Black and Latino enrollment had law enforcement officers on campus, and across the country, Black students were more than twice as likely as their white classmates to be referred to law enforcement or arrested at school." (Page 11)

It rebuts the four functions of SRO’s as set out by the COPS program,

 

·         Law Enforcer- Police in school’s primary function is to enforce the law. “Yet the “criminal” disorder addressed by police in schools is the type of adolescent conduct that otherwise would be handled through school discipline.” (page 13)

·         Informal Counselor- They are not qualified as counselors. They are not trained as counselors. Counselors are required to keep student information confidential; an SRO has no confidentiality requirement.

·         Educator- As educators, their role serves police interests not educational objectives. And in some cases, they may indoctrinate children that police are always right.

·         Emergency Manager- Having police on campus to respond to emergencies does not necessarily help the school develop a comprehensive emergency plan.

 

Inevitably, even if not intended, SRO’s become involved in school discipline with bad results.

 The report claims that SRO’s endanger student rights in three ways,

 

·         Privacy rights- SRO's can share private information among other police agencies where schools would protect that information

·         Criminalize adolescent conduct- Minor infractions are escalated to crimes

·         Discrimination- Black students are more than twice as likely as white students to be referred to law enforcement

And it claims that "Police are more likely to use force in interactions with young people than with adults…" (page 22)

Next- Part 3: Concluding Thoughts

 

American Civil Liberties Union:

https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/bullies-blue

Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School-to-prison_pipeline

The Seattle Times:

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/fight-for-police-free-schools-has-been-years-in-the-making/

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/some-educators-of-color-resist-push-for-police-free-schools/

 

 

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS- Part 1: The Argument For

Crime prevention goes beyond placing criminals into jail. In some ways it tries to take opportunity away from potential criminal acts as when a homeowner locks up their house, or a driver makes sure not to have anything left in view in their car when they park it when they go shopping or in their driveway at night.

Locking doors and other similar actions recommended by police and deputies are primary actions in reducing crime. But there are secondary activities that try to take away underlying causes that may lead people to do criminal acts. One of these secondary activities is the School Resource Officer (SRO).

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services or the U.S. Justice Department (COPS) defines School Resource Officers as “…sworn law enforcement officers responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools.” Under the COPS concept, an SRO does more than merely patrol a school campus:

·         Law Enforcer- An SRO promotes safety in or around the school by addressing crime and fear of crime. They also serve as a liaison between the school and outside agencies. 

·        Informal Counselor- They build relationships with students to try to encourage and reinforce positive behaviors. They can connect youth with services if needed.

·         Educator- Teaches on topics related to law enforcement.

·         Emergency Manager- Helps school administrators to develop and implement safety plans and strategies.

Their goal is to ensure the safety of anyone who is on the school campus and to prevent crime through engagement with students, staff, families, and the community. A good SRO is not merely a guard who hauls kid off to juvenile court for some sort of discretion.

The SRO can have “face to face” interactions with students at times when the students are not “in trouble.” They can assist the school’s counseling staff with counseling and with students who may have issues at school or at home. By getting to know the students and the community around the school, the community and the SRO can prevent future crime.

SRO’s in Snohomish County receive regular specialized training in subjects such as equity, inclusion, diversity, general school safety, legal updates, and best practices.

By being imbedded in the school (or schools) the SRO works with school staff to ensure school safety and to promote long term crime prevention in the school and the surrounding community.

The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) says that SRO’s contribute to a reduction in crime in our society in several ways,

 

·         Prevention or minimization of property damage in the school and surrounding areas.

·         Prevention of student injuries and even death due to violence, drug overdoses, etc.

·         Reduction of the need for schools to call 911.

·         Reduction of the likelihood that a student will get a criminal record.

·         Increase of the likelihood that students (particularly those with mental health issues) will get the help they need from the social service and health care systems.

·         Increase in feelings of safety among students and staff.

 

 Next- Part 2: The Argument Against

 

Community Oriented Policing Services:

https://cops.usdoj.gov/supportingsafeschools

 

National Association of School Resource Officers:

https://asoft200109.accrisoft.com/nasro/faq/

 

Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_resource_officer#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20Department%20of%20Justice%20defines%20school,responsible%20for%20safety%20and%20crime%20prevention%20in%20schools.%E2%80%9D

 

 

SCHOOL BUSES– When to Stop

We are well into the school year. Safety around school buses remains a concern for
parents, school officials and law enforcement. Sometimes it can be confusing when to
stop and when you do not need to stop.  I found this video that does a very good job on
explaining when to stop around school buses.

Washington State Patrol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moK9MZVSIQY&feature=youtu.be