School COP: Implementation and Benefits in Six Sites, Final Report

• NCJ Number: 208299
• Author(s): Tom Rich; Peter Finn
• Date Published: May 2004
• Length: 112 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2001-IJ-CX-0026
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This report examines the use of the School Crime Operations Package (School COP), a software package designed to analyze incidents that occur on school campuses, at six sites.

Abstract

The report is intended for school administrators, school resource officers, and other personnel responsible for school safety who are contemplating using School COP. The report examines how six school sites have used the software, including their implementation difficulties and the benefits of using the software. Part I contains the first two chapters of the report and presents background information about School COP, such as its features, implementation options, and dissemination history. Chapter 1 explains how to use the report, while chapter 2 provides an overview of the School COP, a Windows-based software program designed to allow schools to enter, map, and analyze crimes and school rule violations that occur on campus. Part II contains six chapters describing the implementation, usage, and benefits of the School COP program at six different sites. Chapter 3 presents a case study of the implementation and use of the School COP at South Middle School, a rural middle school with approximately 800 students. The school's decision to use the School COP program is discussed, as well as the implementation process, challenges associated with implementation, and the benefits associated with its use. Chapters 4 through 8 offer similar information about the implementation and use of School COP in three other schools and in two police departments. Decisions to implement School COP centered on the need to more closely monitor student safety issues and the recommendation for the School COP program from other clients. Benefits of using the School COP program were improvement of documentation of school activities and improvement of planning regarding student placement. Appendixes provide technical information about the software and present a number of the School COP screens. Exhibits, tables, figures, appendixes