NCJ Number
188058
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 68 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2001 Pages: 66,68,70
Editor(s)
Charles E. Higginbotham
Date Published
March 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines the current trend of school crime and violence and defines an innovative partnership between the fields of law enforcement and education.
Abstract
This article takes time out to review the long term impact of current school security approaches and establishing a collaborative relationship between law enforcement agencies and education organizations. School safety is addressed in the fostering of linkages between law enforcement and education professionals to effectively manage adults and children in a school building, perimeter, and surrounding neighborhoods. School crime is viewed as a process as opposed to an event. The article reviews school crime and security from three perspectives: where we have been, where we are going, and where we need to be. Traditional school security has been viewed as incident-driven policing with schools dependent on cameras, large signs, and metal detectors. The nature of school violence has changed since the 1960’s and the traditional incident-driven policing concept is viewed as not working. America is now seen as experiencing a new wave of crime and violence in the schools. There are additional elements describing this new wave of student violence, planned attacks, mass violence, and the multi-weapons threat. The long term solution is seen as leadership from law enforcement agencies and educational organizations exchanging ideas and strategies to apply problem-oriented policing, allowing for a secure safe school environment for both adults and children. This article stresses schools be conceptualized as neighborhoods. Both law enforcement and schools need to have a vision and direction to make police-school partnerships a part of their internal operational standards with the partnership tied to a community policing model