NCJ Number
213618
Journal
Journal of School Violence Volume: 4 Issue: 4 Dated: 2005 Pages: 105-125
Date Published
2005
Length
21 pages
Annotation
A total of 230 high school students were surveyed to determine their views on school security measures.
Abstract
The majority of students reported that the school police officers and security officers helped keep the schools safe, and drug-sniffing dogs helped reduce the presence of drugs in schools; however, there was no clear consensus among the students on whether video surveillance cameras increased safety, whether police and security officers should search students with metal detectors, or whether there should be more police and security officers in the schools. The only security measure that the majority of students disliked was the requirement that all backpacks be made of mesh or clear plastic. Boys were significantly more likely than girls to evaluate school police officers negatively and to oppose the use of metal detectors. An analysis of relevant data found that the security measures discussed have had little impact on the presence of weapons or drugs in schools. More than half of the students reported having seen other students use drugs at school, and almost half of the students reported having seen other students carry knives at school; 9.6 percent of the students reported having seen other students carry guns at school. Policy implications are discussed. The study was conducted in the Brownsville Independent School District (Texas), which operates 29 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, 5 high schools, and 3 alternative schools. The school district has its own police department, which consisted of 70 security officers and 15 police officers at the time of the survey (2000-2001). The survey was administered to a nonrandom sample of 230 high school students that consisted of an approximately even proportion of boys and girls. 3 tables and 62 references