School Based Law Enforcement

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School Based Law Enforcement
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Why Have a Cop at School?

• Sworn law enforcement officers have a positive
  impact on school climate by serving in a variety
  of roles beyond that of law enforcer
• Law-related educator
• Problem-solver
• Community liaison
• First-responder liaison
• Mentor

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Why Have a Cop at School?

• Identify physical changes in the environment that
  impact crime and/or safety.
• Promote personal and social responsibility.
• Focus on Quality of life (educational
  environment) issues such as
• Bullying
• Dating violence
• Chronic misbehavior
• Sexual harassment
• Disconnected students

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Why Have a Cop at School?

• Immediate Response to Active Shooter, and other
  high level violent crimes.
• Immediate response to other offenses.
• Immediate response to mental health events.
• Deterrent to intruders, unauthorized persons.
• Deterrent to student violators.
• Deterrent to adult violators

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Why Have a Cop at School?

• Enhanced communication between schools and the
  police.
• Identification and prioritization of the most
  significant problems.
• Development of specific strategies to address the
  foremost problems.
• Enforcement
• Increased surveillance of crime areas near
  schools
• Prevention programs addressing gangs, drugs,
  violence

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Integration of LE into Schools

• Establish Collaborative Environment
• Identify Internal and External stakeholders
• Board of Trustees
• Superintendent
• Principals
• Staff
• Students and parents
• Officers, Supervisors, and Command staff of the
  Department

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Integration of LE into Schools

• Select Program Model Many programs center
  around the School Resource Officer model that
  places an officer at a specific campus utilizing
  the triad concept (enforce, teach, mentor) of
  service delivery. Others use the more traditional
  patrol/response model that focused on
  enforcement. Many large school districts use a
  combination of both.

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Integration of LE into Schools

• Define Roles and Responsibilities
• Defined in district policy.
• Involve school administration.
• Involve officers.
• Develop a periodic review process.
• Develop a mechanism for resolving operational
  issues.
• Develop written job description and allow for
  site specific requirements for SROs or other site
  based officers.
• Cover enforcement, discipline, teaching, and
  other responsibilities.

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Integration of LE into Schools

• Officer Recruitment
• Develop written criteria for officers that
  includes
• Cares about kids.
• Has temperament to work with school
  administrators.
• Capacity to work independently.
• Experienced.
• Knows the community.

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Integration of LE into Schools

• Officer Training
• School based law enforcement training prior to
  being assigned to a campus or being turned
  loose.
• Pre-assignment Training
• Field Officer Training
• In-service Training
• Training with staff/administration

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Integration of LE into Schools

• Officer Supervision
• Adequate supervision of officers is important to
  make sure they are working to their full
  potential and are not experiencing unreported or
  unacknowledged problems.
• SRO supervisors should periodically make site
  visits, contact school administrators, and
  observe the officers

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Integration of LE into Schools

• Establish Communications Protocols
• System Level Issues
• Emergency/crisis management
• Personnel
• Facility
• Street Level Officer/Campus/Neighborhood Issues
• School day
• Pre/post school day
• Student
• Staff
• Parent

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Integration of LE into Schools

• Collaborating with Administrators, Teachers,
  Students, and Parents
• Departments strategic planning process.
• Developing methods to maintain authority as
  enforcers and positive relationship with
  students.
• Involvement with PTA/PTO.
• Forums for parents and students.

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Integration of LE into Schools

• Establish Evaluation Process
• Interviews/Observations
• School staff
• Police staff
• Students/Parents
• Documentation of Activity
• Discipline Records
• Calls for Service
• Crime/Incident Reports
• Arrest/Citation Data
• Surveys
• Program Delivery