The director of security for the Aurora Public Schools tells how the department he built has cut crime. (Author/MLF)

Three principles govern school security management: shared responsibility, prompt reporting, and proper planning. Specific strategies, called target-hardening strategies, exist to make schools safer places. This article offers several target-hardening techniques for protecting students, personnel, and property. (AN)

This report indicates that while school security systems should be tailored to the school system's specific needs and problems, most must take cognizance of the following concerns: (1) evaluation of current security arrangements; (2) degree of dependence upon local law enforcement bodies; (3) management of the school system; (4) analysis of school…

The only security system that will work in today's school requires total involvement of all school personnel. Guards should be well-trained and a security alarm designed, installed, and maintained. (Author/MLF)

This speech discusses security measures that could be implemented in school buildings to reduce vandalism and its associated costs. Some suggested methods for reducing vandalism include (1) employment of security guards, (2) 24-hour deployment of custodial staff, (3) installation of unbreakable doors and tamper-proof locks, and (4) use of an…

Security personnel from five school districts have been recently responsible for developing programs designed to protect students, teachers, and school property from vandals. Reports from Prince George's County, Maryland, Chicago, Illinois, Bellevue, Washington, DeKalb County Schools, Georgia, and Pittsburgh Public Schools are provided. (Author/RK)

A defective alarm system was modified with circuitry and added components. The final design was a joint effort between engineers and security professionals. (Author/MLF)

This bulletin highlights how two-way radios are secured, maintained, and effectively used by school security officers, administrators, teachers, and students in New York City schools. Any school requiring faster, more comprehensive communications among security officers and school staff when incidents of violence, vandalism, and theft are imminent…

Points out tension-breeding factors that underlie school racial unrest; suggests ways for school security officers to define their role; and lists some features of a crisis contingency plan. (Subscription $14.00 yearly, 2639 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034.) (MLF)

By offering police officers office spaces in school buildings at night, theft, break-ins, and vandalism can be deterred. Officers who must write up reports during patrol hours can utilize school facilities while remaining in radio contact with their dispatchers at police headquarters and on alert for further requests for asistance. The officers'…

Workshop materials, all from Broward County (Florida), include job descriptions for the positions of director of security, security investigator, security specialist, and security patrolman. A security report also contains charts reflecting arson, vandalism, and theft costs from the school in years 1970 through 1979. The last section contains…

Guidelines for developing a security system that promotes safe and vandal-free schools are offered to administrators in this handbook. Areas covered are: (1) a security checklist; (2) identification of security needs and development of an action plan; (3) a school incident reporting system; (4) comparison of a secure and a nonsecure school; (5)…

Describes campus crime, including property crimes and violent crimes, occurring at Florida's community colleges from a systemwide approach. Discusses implications for security decision-makers at these campuses. Between 1991 and 1995, the average number of violent crimes across the system was 72 and the average number of property crimes was 2,154.…

This annotated bibliography about crime and disruption in schools has been assembled from academic, professional, and government sources. The citations are organized into four major parts. "Overview: Nature and Extent of the Problem" contains studies that describe the cost of school crimes, primarily vandalism and arson, both in dollars…

A well organized school security program is one solution to controlling the increase in school disruption. However, a long-range security program requires more than enforcing regulations. The role of school security is to influence the development of an educational climate where the classroom atmosphere is peaceful. The responsibilities of…