Although there has been little academic research on the impact of placing police officers in schools, this practice has grown substantially in response to school shootings and other violent crimes in schools. With a standardized training program since 1999, the state of Virginia has law enforcement officers working in approximately 88 percent of…

"Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008" provides the most recent national indicators on school crime and safety. The information presented in this report is intended to serve as a reference for policymakers and practitioners so that they can develop effective programs and policies aimed at violence and school crime prevention. The…

This guide provides basic guidelines to help schools, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, analyze their vulnerability to violence, theft, and vandalism, and suggest possible technologies to effectively address these problems. It describes existing commercially available technologies and urges thoughtful consideration of not only the…

Effective planning for campus security requires a coordinated effort by the facility planner and safety and security personnel. Examples at Ohio State University are cited. (MLF)

The Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) concept suggests that natural surveillance, natural access control, and territoriality can be effectively applied to schools and surrounding environments to provide safety for students and teachers. This document presents the essential concepts of the CPTED and examines how the main office…

This paper describes a hot-stamping operation undertaken at Drexel University in an attempt to prevent computer theft on campus. The program was initiated in response to the University's anticipated receipt of up to 3,000 Macintosh microcomputers per year and the consequent publicity the university was receiving. All clusters of computers (e.g.,…

Theft of valuable educational equipment can be reduced by marking the equipment so well and so hideously that it cannot be readily sold, keeping records of who has access to the equipment, and using affordable state of the art security devices. (MLF)

A task force, charged with uncovering weaknesses in existing security school systems in Knox County, Tennessee, developed a checklist survey and sent it to each of the 85 building principals. Displays some of the questions but advises involving community members in the process of creating a security survey. (MLF)

Cultural differences, socioeconomic conditions, broken homes, and other problems are not grounds for allowing criminal acts to go unchallenged on school property. This publication shows administrators how to control and reduce the incidence of criminal acts, which create fear, anxiety, hostility, and a loss of confidence in the educational system.…

To avoid expensive and time-consuming negligence suits, schools everywhere should take thorough precautions against assaults on or near their premises; measures against unauthorized visitors are particulary important. School staff should register and monitor authorized visitors, and strangers in or near the school should be reported immediately.…

Greater use of expensive equipment by schools has also increased the potential for vandalism and theft, giving an increased role to intruder alarm systems. This document provides guidance on the management and technical aspects of forming policies for installing and operating intruder alarm systems in educational buildings. Also provided are…

Recent years have shown a rise in crimes committed in English schools necessitating the need to formulate security policies. This document examines the use of security lighting and provides guidance and technical advice on policy to assist those responsible for design, specification, purchase, installation, maintenance, operation, and management…

Describes the security system used by Schaumburg Township (Illinois) Community Consolidated School District to reduce vandalism. The system includes "master key control" to restrict access to keys, an after-hours alarm system, guidelines for community use of buildings, protective community attitudes, and full prosecution of vandals. (RW)

A model for organizing crisis intervention efforts outlines three levels of intervention: primary prevention, secondary intervention, and tertiary prevention. Emphasizes the importance of conducting crisis drills, which are an example of secondary intervention. Includes a 15-point crisis intervention checklist. (MLF)

A pilot project involving 44 secondary schools in 3 school districts focuses the attention of the entire school community on crime and discipline problems. Incident reporting, crime analysis techniques, and resource teams are utilized. (MLF)