School Crime/Security/Response

Crime in the schools first became evident to law enforcement and school personnel as early as the 1950s. By the 1960s, state and local authorities viewed school safety as an important goal, but eventually, this goal became secondary in light of budget constraints and other salient police agendas. Schools were faced with a choice as to whether they would incorporate a police presence into the educational environment or leave discipline up to existing staff by expanding their duties. Before the mid1970s, police were contacted mostly in response to specific incidents at local schools. Since then, preventive efforts combining police and educators became necessary in the face of a growing crime rate in schools. In the final decades of the 20th century, the heightened visibility of youth gangs, juvenile gun violence, and school shootings saturating the media prompted state and local law enforcement to permanently partner with schools and communities to address school crime in more innovative and collaborative ways.

Although media coverage of school crime may lead to a perception that schools are dangerous places, school crime, particularly that involving serious violence, is currently on the decrease in most states and localities. Violent victimization has never been considered common in most school settings, although even minor threats and bullying can admittedly have a profound effect on students’ perceptions of crime. Fear of crime at school can also affect a student's ability to succeed academically, despite low incidence of actual crime. The true extent of victimization is unknown, because many crimes go unreported by students. Theft remains the most steady and frequent crime committed on school grounds across the states, with drug possession often found as well. Even when crime in certain schools is high, the school may simply mirror the community in many of these localities, with the home and the neighborhood remaining places much more likely to experience violence.

Recognizing that a few schools in districts across the nation do have a serious problem with crime and violence, the majority of schools deal with problems more commonly associated with disorder, such as vandalism, horseplay, rule violation, disruptive behavior, bullying, and truant teenagers loitering in or near the school. The necessity of evaluating the extent of intervention in each particular state and locality is important in maintaining the least invasive police presence in the educational setting while also minimizing delinquent activity that could prompt fear, create a disorderly climate that promotes higher levels of crime, or damage the learning environment.

The use of technology, such as metal detectors and security cameras, as well as the restructuring of the physical environment in the school, such as allowing only one entry point, have become popular in some states and local schools. This target-hardening approach may be a deterrent for weapons and prevent some crime, but it does have drawbacks. In some schools, it can take up to 45 minutes for the students to enter school in the morning, with a resulting consequence of tardiness, missed instruction, and failing grades. Studies find that low academic success may contribute to delinquent behavior and criminal careers, so one should keep in mind that some target-hardening approaches may counteract the initial goal. Although some of the larger urban schools may require target hardening, the right to privacy is compromised with this type of intervention when used in districts that have low levels of weapon-related crime. There remain, however, schools in which students are contending with fear on a daily basis. Although they are rare, mass shootings like that of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999 have caused police to rethink their strategies and tactics when dealing with an attack that is occurring. School resource officers (SROs)—police in the school setting—were introduced in the 1950s. Although their popularity faded somewhat during the 1980s and most of the 1990s, the Department of Justice introduced the COPS in Schools program as part of its Office of Community Oriented Policing Services in 2000. Part of this initiative consisted of hiring almost 600 SROs in communities throughout the states. The roles, duties, and training of SROs differ in each state and local jurisdiction, but having law enforcement within the school continues to offer a workable solution to improving and maintaining safety and reducing fear in the learning environment. SROs bring the concept of community policing into the school. This concept considers the community and draws on collaborative efforts with parents, school administrators, educators, and social services. President Clinton introduced the Safe Schools/ Healthy Students Initiative in 1999, administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and the criminal justice system, calling for an integrated approach to combating school crime and promoting healthy students. On the tail of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994, 54 local communities devised a new plan to help ensure a safe school environment and provide prevention programs focused on drug and alcohol abuse, violence, strengthening of families, and mental health. In addition, early intervention programs were addressed, as was educational reform and policies for safe schools.

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