LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS

Law Enforcement Officers In Schools

The Presence Of Law Enforcement Officers In Schools

Chapter 1: Introduction

Background of Study

The increasing level of crimes in school have been recently covered by U.S. media. The school administrators are most concerned about the safety of schools. National statistics show that, although the number of school students the victims of crimes in school has decreased but there are several lethal shooting incidents in many schools led their administrators to take certain steps to avoid these violent activities (Kaufman et al, 2000). While the school crime in history have paid little attention to the public or the decision makers in the past few decades has changed. In the late 20th century, numerous school shootings have generated enormous media coverage (Maguire, Weather by , and Mothers, 2002). Therefore, strengthening security steps in schools such as using metal detectors to screen students of weapons, efforts to enhance school safety, and implemented a large number of security policy, video surveillance to monitor students, create a security policy which requires that all backpacks and bags is semi-transparent plastic or mesh, "zero tolerance" security policy to implement its mandate suspension or expulsion of any act of violence, as well as sworn police officers assigned to patrol the compilation and discussion of school (the school's security measures, see Barrios and so on. 2000 , Garcia, 2003, Gottfredson and Gottfredson, 2001 years and Lawrence, 1998). In the new security measures, police officers sworn in schools is undoubtedly the most important position, because the officers in the school environment, the new authority of the agents.

Scope of the Study

This study is undertaken to determine what personal qualities, skills and tasks is considered as a point of view from the principal, the law enforcement administrator, SRO which are needed to decreases the crime rates in school. In this study, we will focus on a specific school safety plan is popular in the United States: School Resource Officer program.

A school resource officer (SRO) is a law enforcement officer assigned to a full-time service in public schools for students, teachers and staff and so on. According to the current idea of SRO task is more extensive security personnel. The National Association of School Resource Officer (NASRO) promotes the "triad" of the enforcement procedures in the school practice, as law enforcement officers, in legal education classroom teachers, and counselors about the functions of the SRO law matters.

Hypothesis/Problem statements

The research questions for this study are:

The crime rate is higher in the lower class schools than the crime rate in middle and upper class schools.

The security condition is better in private schools than the condition in public schools.

The presence of law enforcement officers in schools decreases the crime rates in the schools or the presence of law enforcement officers in schools does not decrease the crime rates in the schools.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

A school police officer is a public servant who implement law enforcement amalgamation in education system. They monitor a high foul institutionalized population groups ...