Annual Report on School Safety--October 1998

A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

What Police and Juvenile Justice Authorities Can Do

1. Establish a working relationship with schools.

Educators, police, and juvenile justice authorities all play an integral part in preventing school crime. Educators are better equipped to teach students. Police are more capable of intervening in a crisis situation involving a violent or potentially violent student. Juvenile justice authorities can assign probation officers and social workers to schools, where they can better monitor and serve adjudicated students, design specific regimens for youthful offenders to influence their behavior, and provide stronger and broader sanctions for violent behavior.

2. Patrol the school grounds, facilities, and travel routes.

The presence of police in or near the school and local neighborhoods deters crime and prevents troubling situations from escalating. Police presence disrupts trouble spots that interfere with students traveling to and from school, prevents strangers from entering schools, reduces the ability of students to smuggle weapons into schools, deters gang activities, and identifies students who are selling drugs or under the influence of drugs. Police can also conduct random searches for weapons or controlled substances, if appropriate. In these and other circumstances, they add their broader authority to the supervision of students.

3. Respond to reports of criminal activities in the school.

When police routinely patrol the school grounds, they are in a better position to act quickly in response to a request for help from school authorities. The role of police in this situation may be to separate a violent student from potential victims, talk the student into giving up a threatening stance, subdue and transport a student from the scene, contact emergency services, assist in traffic control as emergency services arrive and as parents pick up their children during or after a crisis, collect evidence, or participate in other activities. Rapid response is critical in a situation where many children are in harm's way.

4. Consult with school authorities and parents regarding school security.

Both juvenile justice authorities and police have specialized training in working with youth. They are aware of effective techniques for modifying the behavior of troubled students, the appropriate use of rules and sanctions for youth who are chronic offenders, techniques for avoiding violence and victimization, and optional programs and services for troubled students. They are also able to consult more broadly on issues of school, home, and personal security. Their information can be shared in school board meetings, community meetings, staff meetings, classrooms, assemblies, printed materials, and broadcasts.

5. Work directly with youth to maintain a constructive relationship.

Police and juvenile justice authorities can become involved directly with students outside the police station, courtroom, or other corrections settings. They often develop a good relationship with students as a means of preventing a confrontation in the future. As the relationship builds, students see police and juvenile justice authorities as positive role models rather than judges or enforcers, assist them in their work rather than fleeing from them or hindering their work, and gain a greater understanding about the difficulties they face in their work. Instilling a broader respect for authority is essential in preventing crime. Opportunities for building constructive relationships between authorities and youth include bicycle registration drives, school carnivals, fundraisers, community policing partnerships, and sponsored recreational activities.

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