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…

On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho traded in his title as "student" for one of "gunman." That day, Cho, a student at Virginia Tech, was responsible for the deadliest shooting spree by a single person in U.S. history, killing 33 people, including himself. Ten months later on Valentine's Day, Steven Kazmierczak joined Cho in the…

On April 16, 2007, a gunman opened fire at Virginia Tech University, killing 32 people before taking his own life. In the aftermath of such a violent campus incident, many universities are looking for ways to improve policies and programs that promote campus safety and allow them to effectively handle emergency situations. Many universities are…

The recent events at Virginia Tech reinforce the idea that nothing is more fundamental for college leaders to address than campus security and safety. After the tears, the makeshift memorials, and the intensely painful series of funerals, higher education must come to grips with the fact that it has just had its own September 11. Assessing and…

This report is in response to a Virginia state legislature mandate of a study of security on the campuses of Virginia public institutions of higher education. The study scope included institutional characteristics, security department characteristics, personnel and training, information about relations on and off campus, needs and concerns of the…

In 1997, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation requiring local school boards to conduct school safety audits for each school under their jurisdiction. Guidelines for helping educators conduct these audits are presented here. This guide is designed to help administrators chart an informed, responsible, and proactive course toward…