NCJ Number
118421
Journal
School Safety Dated: (Winter 1987) Pages: 5-7
Date Published
1987
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article contends that the quality of education will be enhanced as educators and law enforcement officials learn to integrate their mutual concerns and responsibilities for providing safe schools.
Abstract
School security programs had their beginnings in the 1970's, and early programs were designed to respond only to property offenses such as burglary, vandalism, and arson. Later programs, while still responding to property offenses, have the added responsibility of crimes against persons which include assaults, robberies, extortion, drug violations, and weapons on campus. The need to control crimes against persons has proven to be the catalyst for many school districts to implement security programs. What started out as informal security agreements between schools and local police are now formalized agreements that delineate security policies and procedures. In Maryland, all sworn school security officers are classified as police officers. They are required to attend a certified police academy for 22 weeks of rigorous training, and they must also successfully complete 18 hours of inservice training annually. The law enforcement community is crucial in helping the educational community understand the significant difference between school rule and criminal law violations. Of particular interest to both educators and law enforcement is the development of sophisticated security incident reporting systems. Incident profiling, originally developed by the National Alliance for Safe Schools, provides school principals with a tool for managing unwanted behavior and for plotting and recording school discipline problems.