ERIC Number: EJ1193079
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 2
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0164-775X
EISSN: N/A
Conflicting Cultures with a Common Goal: Collaborating with School Resource Officers
Jones, Janine M.
Communique, v42 n6 p4, 6 Mar-Apr 2014
With the intention of increasing school safety, across the country, law enforcement officers have been deployed to work on school grounds. After the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) developed a new program called COPS in Schools (CIS) that was a mechanism for funding grants to schools to hire specially trained community officers. Since CIS was launched in 1999, more than 6,500 officers were hired as part of the program (U.S. Department of Justice, 2013). Commonly known as school resource officers, or SROs, these law enforcement professionals have become a fixture in many high schools in large urban school districts. However when the author, a school psychologist, conducted informal interviews with SROs, one issue quickly became apparent--the culture of school psychology is in conflict with the culture of school policing. The most common themes were: (1) lack of role awareness; (2) conflicting timing; (3) different data points; and (4) different expectations in crisis situations. In this article, she examines these themes and how school psychologists can support SROs in the school setting.
Descriptors: Police School Relationship, School Safety, Law Enforcement, Federal Programs, School Psychology, Crisis Management, School Counselors, Counselor Role, Intervention, Positive Reinforcement, Cooperation, Conflict, High Schools
National Association of School Psychologists. 4340 East West Highway Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 301-657-0270; Fax: 301-657-0275; e-mail: publications@naspweb.org; Web site: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A