School Resource Officers and how they help curb the violence in schools.

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School Resource Officer and How They Help Curb the Violence in Schools

Introduction

Violence in schools had become rampant and a cause for concern some years back . The many violent incidents which were being reported in most schools dramatically increased especially after shootings which took place in schools . To respond to this problem , some programs of school Resource officers were initiated around 1960 . However , the role of SROs increased in 1990 and was backed up by the security police (Atkinson , p456 ) The main

aim of SROs was to enforce laws in schools and reduce the cases of violence . School police and school security officers were also charged with the responsibility of assisting SROs in their task . There were , fears however , that school police would create an impression of armed camp ' or prison like ' kind of environment (Atkinson , p23

How School Resource Officers Operate

Majority of School Resource Officers and other personnel who maintain safety at school have actually prevented very many incidents from taking place in schools . The function of SROs is focused on the Triad Model . Their role consist enforcement of law , student counseling and education related to the law . In to fully understand the functions of SROs , and their contributions to safety , SROs together with school -law enforcement relationships , should be seen as playing a preventative role and not punitive or detention like role (Atkinson , p78 ) Many Security Resource Officers enforce laws in schools and are drawn from county or local enforcement agencies . They are assigned to various schools after signing cooperative agreements with the education authority . There are a host of school districts who have established departments for school police of their own . The nature of work of those officers is full time , and the functions are internal They are given police powers and offered employment directly by district school as opposed to employment offered by the law enforcement agency which falls outside school district (Curt Lavarello , p67

School resource officers are given firearms to enable them acquire the image of a security officer . It would be senseless to trust them with safety without a gun as it would lower the standard of security services they offer In addition it would be impossible for them protect and safeguard the lives of staff , students and even themselves . They are security officers not consultants (Samantha , p54 ) Some SROs are volunteers who have the desire to work in schools with children . For them to conduct their work efficiently , they are taken through training programs so that they acquire specialized training on how they can work in school settings and with children . SRO programs include other formal arrangements made between the school districts as well as the law enforcement agencies about selection of officers , training , funding evaluation , supervision and related issues (Ken , p345

School Security Programs

School Security Programs are initiated by the school Resource officers as a form of security staffing in schools . These programs are more to do with in house security officers...