NCJ Number
194599
Journal
Campus Safety Journal Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2002 Pages: 14-17
Date Published
April 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
After reviewing the responsibilities of three types of campus security personnel, this article profiles the training provided in California to these various personnel.
Abstract
The three types of campus security personnel are the school security officer, whose responsibilities are similar to those of a security officer at an office building; a school resource officer, who has peace officer status on campus and can be armed; and the district or campus police officer, who is a uniformed officer assigned either to the campus or to the district in which the campus resides. In California, school district police officers are required to attend an additional 32 hours of classroom training, in addition to academy training, geared toward understanding the school environment. Four 8-hour classroom sessions include a focus on the role and responsibility of campus police, laws and liability, tactical awareness in an educational environment, campus community problem-solving, mediation and conflict resolution, standardized emergency management/incident command systems, and the dynamics of student behavior. California also mandates that K-12 and community college personnel without peace officer status take a 24-hour school security course. A 1-day course is designed to help prepare senior security personnel to train their own staff in proper security and police procedures. This article also suggests ways in which training can be made more cost-effective for the agencies that fund it.