Failed partnerships? If school boards throw out SROs/school-police, should they not also throw out their superintendents and principals?
Partnerships. School Resource Officer (SRO) programs are, by definition, built upon partnerships. The school-based police officers’ partners are school administrators — principals at the building level, superintendents at the executive level. In properly managed SRO programs, these partnerships are formalized in written Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreements. These MOUs are typically signed by school boards […]
In times of racial, community unrest with police, schools need quality School Resource Officer (SRO) police programs more than ever
As communities across the nation grapple with race and civil unrest with their police, children and police need to come together to collaboratively understand one another, their relationships, and their communities. There is no better form of true community policing than properly designed and implemented School Resource Officer (SRO) school-based policing programs. School boards, administrators […]
Children with Special Needs and the School Resource Officer (SRO)
Numerous incidents of questionable interactions between School Resource Officers (SROs) or local police officers and children with special needs have shocked the public conscience in recent years. These unsuccessful events, often recorded by students and posted on social media, have understandably drawn the attention of the national news media and education leaders. We are often […]
Federal Commission on School Safety report rehashes decades-old best practices, adds a few political twists
Statement by school security expert Kenneth S. Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services, on the Federal Commission on School Safety’s final report: The Federal Commission on School Safety’s final report largely rehashes school safety, security, and emergency preparedness best practices that have been recognized since the Columbine era nearly 20 years ago. […]
How President Trump can “Make federal school safety policy great again”: Advice from Ken Trump to President Donald Trump
President Donald J. Trump takes office today as the 45th President of the United States. As he and his nominated Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, begin working to “Make America Great Again,” they also have the opportunity to “Make Federal School Safety Policy Great Again.” Obama, Congress eliminated critical school safety programs prior to the […]
Spring Valley High School police – student altercation analysis: A failure of administration and School Resource Officer (SRO) best practices
The viral video of a South Carolina School Resource Officer (SRO) dragging a female student out of a classroom chair raises as many questions about a failure of school administration as it raises questions about school officer tactics and best practices in school-based policing. Three wrongs a disaster makes “This situation was a no-win as […]
Body cameras in schools: Are School Resource Officers (SROs) and principals missing the big picture?
How quickly will students rush to the assistant principal or School Resource Officer (SRO) to report a student carrying a gun, a school shooting plot, or abuse taking place at their home if these adults have a camera rolling on their personal conversation? Many students will view body cameras as an instant barrier that only reinforces their […]
Should School Resource Officers (SROs) store high-powered weapons in schools?
Given today’s active shooters may very well come heavily armed, and perhaps better equipped, than the typical school-based police officer who may encounter them in a school hallway, some local law enforcement agencies are looking at leveling the playing field. Aim for transparency When police departments propose storing in schools some higher-powered weapons than the […]
School visitation programs beef up police presence, but not budgets
Police departments across the nation are beefing up police presence at schools, but not increasing their budgets or those of their local schools. Having a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) assigned to a school, especially on a regular basis at secondary schools, has long been a best practice. But following the Sandy Hook Elementary School […]
Exercise caution with full scale school active shooter exercises
Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook, we have noticed an increase in first responders, primarily law enforcement, conducting full scale exercises at schools using staff and students. These exercises are also coming under increased scrutiny by the media and broader public, as reported this past weekend in the NBC stories Fake Blood and Blanks: Schools Stage […]