This is the executive summary for the report, "Is California Doing Enough to Close the School Discipline Gap?" In California, a combination of statewide and local efforts has been implemented to reduce the use of punitive suspensions in public K-12 schools. Current state data trends reflect these efforts, showing that far fewer students…

An analysis of eleven state task force reports prompted by the tragic nature of the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 revealed that all shared a primary theme: no "single best way" to protect American college and university campuses yet exists. These documents, individually and collectively, make it clear that contemporary complex learning…

Campus police forces operate under a difficult mandate of competing and conflicting goals. Officers are charged with protecting institutions whose basic mission is to provide a peaceful, open campus setting that encourages freedom of movement and expression. Campuses are generally unguarded and open to the general public and their buildings,…

Opportunities abound for prospective employees in the protective services. On the surface, it appears that few employers require a college education as a condition of employment at the state or local level. But the reality is that many employers use at least some college as a screening tool for prospective employees. Although the federal…

Many campus law enforcement administrators reach a point where they need to request additional staff. Unless the department is awash in extra funding or is in the wake of a major incident that brought significant attention to current manpower, they're likely fighting an uphill battle for growth. The effectiveness of formulas that analyze the size…

Many security professionals choose the career because of an interest in the technology of security. Few realize the degree to which a contemporary security office interacts with law enforcement agencies (LEAs) such as the FBI and state, local, and campus police. As the field of information security has matured, the language of risk management is…

Education administrators have many tools available to them as they strive to establish a safe climate for learning, but no one strategy or piece of equipment is a magic solution that keeps potential trouble beyond the campus boundaries. Creating and maintaining a safe and secure school environment requires a balance of many strategies: (1)…

Considerable confusion exists over male/female relationships in the work place, especially in such male-dominated professions as law enforcement. The laws governing sexual harassment offer unclear guidelines regarding the definition of harm that results from such harassment. This paper addresses the special problems of sexual harassment in the…

This paper describes how one Texas school district, the Aldine Independent School District (ISD), created its own police department as an effort to control school-related crime. Formed in 1990, the Aldine Police Department (ADP) entitles officers to issue citations to students or make arrests according to their assessment of the situation and with…

If a campus has students who are deaf or hard of hearing, its Public Safety department needs to become aware of some basic information about deafness in order to serve those students well. Public Safety officers may interact with deaf students in a variety of situations: (1) Reporting a theft; (2) Emergency medical situations; (3) Reporting items…

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 39% of public school students were considered to be part of a minority group in 2000, as opposed to just 22% in 1972. Although the increased diversity offers many opportunities for staff members and students to learn from one another, not all members of the school community adjust quickly to a…