Policing in schools plays an important role in law enforcement, as officers in this capacity are not just assigned to institutions to simply handle criminal activity. Rather, officers on duty in schools and on campuses serve as mentors and as a resource for both students and staff. Additionally, new technology and smartphone apps specifically designed for law enforcement have made it easier and less intimidating for students to connect with police. In fact, using the apps has been a quick way to alert school law enforcement agencies of suspicious activity.
Laying the groundwork with trust
When it comes to policing in schools, maintaining trust, respect and communication are crucial for success.
Jody Scrifes, chief of police at the Lubbock Independent School District (LISD) in Lubbock, Texas, says consistency is key to creating bonds of trust. “The students see the officers at their schools and athletic events and are able to get to know them on a daily basis.”
In Albuquerque, N.M., Henry Wong, an officer in the Albuquerque Public Schools, states that trust is an important aspect for all law enforcement officers and that it must be established with students, teachers and the public. “It is important for many reasons,” says Wong. “A campus is like a small community with students, teachers, staff and administrators each with their roles in the campus society.” Wong says as School Resource Officers (SRO), police in those settings must have professional relationships with the entire school community. “It has to be a partnership,” Wong continues. Lack of trust can ruin the solid foundation that officers and schools may create; a SRO must be approachable to all who are on the campus.
Wong says the SRO must be able to communicate with students in a way that they will listen and retain information and cites his firsthand experience with the positive impact police can make with a troubled student. “After building respect and trust between myself and a student, they changed their attitude and made better decisions,” he says. With that positive impact he was able to effectively relay information to the student regarding a dual credit program partnered with the local community college. As a result the student is now excelling in both high school and college courses.
Officers in the LISD police department will oftentimes extend their help to students in non-police matters, too. Scrifes says policemen will counsel teens in crisis who may just need to speak with an adult. The longevity of the LISD police department, which has been in existence since 1990, has helped community relations as well. “We have officers that have been with the department since the beginning,” says Scrifes. The respected relationships and the generations of officers makes their department stand out. “I have people in the community all the time ask me about a certain officer they remember from high school and they are in their thirties with families of their own.” Scrifes says working in a school department allows for more opportunities to build relationships, and having consistency is one way to create trust and overall bonds between officers and students.
Solicit feedback
A solid relationship between the school and law enforcement isn’t just important in elementary, junior high and high schools. College campus police must also take into consideration how to create bonds with both students and faculty.
The Texas Tech University Police Department in Lubbock, Texas, does several things to ensure a community partnership. First, advisory boards are set up in order to address a variety of campus issues. Administrative Captain Stephen Hinkle says some of the boards include students or the Student Government Association president. Second, the police department has a crime prevention specialist that does a presentation at each new student orientation as well, which opens communication between campus police, students and their parents. Hinkle says the department also offers training to student groups on varying topics, which in turn opens communication between officers and students and helps create a bond.
Interaction with students and staff is a large part of effective school policing for the Texas Tech Police Department. In fact, it has been known as one of the most highly professional departments when it comes to college campus policing, says Hinkle. It’s a reputation that he believes is due to their care and concern about the security and safety of students, staff, faculty and visitors. One way the campus police department has been able to heighten this reputation is by asking students for feedback. “We do solicit feedback from the campus community,” says Hinkle. Texas Tech has found that most of the students interviewed have stated they feel safe on campus.
The department is additionally responsible for the first timely warning notification on events, including situations such as severe weather alerts, active shooters and other related incidents that may occur on the campus. From his perspective, Hinkle believes interaction, awareness and training make campus security and police roles more effective.
Tech helps create partnerships
A growing trend is the use of apps in schools where students have the ability to get in contact with the police officers. Chief Scrifes of LISD says their department has an app students can use that connects with counselors in the school who may then relay pertinent information to the officers regarding concerning behavior.
Several companies, in fact, have come up with applications for smartphones that connect civilians directly to their police departments.
Built around two-way communication, MobilePD’s app allows citizens to connect in real-time with a police officer. A two-way text conversation is also available that may be kept anonymous. The program also provides users with crime tips that have resulted in successful arrests and have helped find missing persons.
Kushyar Kasraie, CEO of MobilePD, says the app is a force multiplier. “On average, for every sworn officer our customers have there are 30 active community members using the app.” Apps such as these help to inform civilians of any arising public safety issues that may be in their community, by centralizing every piece of information a community may need into one application. MobilePD has been successful in creating a virtual extension to local police departments, furthering their reach of customer service.
Another piece of tech, called SirenGPS, benefits first responders by allowing them to receive more accurate locations for the majority of calls. “Those call events can be delivered directly to first responder smartphones, providing real-time situational awareness,” says Paul Rauner, chief executive of SirenGPS. Law enforcement can also use SirenGPS for internal communication. “From filling shifts to organizing emergency response, location integrated communications also keep first responders safe.” Tracking may be enabled to monitor the location of law enforcement in case of a safety risk, too.
SirenGPS is effective due to its design and function, says Rauner, and as it is made to work with established first responder workflow, the system makes more information readily available. “Without changing existing protocols, SirenGPS increases situational awareness,” states Rauner. It is able to efficiently and effectively do this without interfering with systems that are already in place.
Interoperability specifically designed for emergency communication allows emergency services to be more efficient. “Our location integrated community notification and enhanced 911 connects first responders and community stakeholders in an emergency,” says Rauner.
He adds that most people are unaware that once a call is placed to 911 from a cellphone, the dispatcher often does not receive an exact location from the caller. With SirenGPS, callers can expect their location to be relayed to the dispatcher prior to the call ringing into emergency services, which may result in faster response time for law enforcement personnel. “SirenGPS provides a 911 panic button citizens can use.” The system allows citizens, including students on campuses, to create personal profiles that are seen by first responders. The user profile delivers an accurate location, a photo and health information of the citizen. This enables faster and more effective emergency response, states Rauner.
Administrative Captain Hinkle with Texas Tech says the use of technology has helped in areas of law enforcement. “I do believe that technology has helped people get the assistance they need quickly.”
Beyond patrol
Building and maintaining a relationship of good standing with students is a process. Albuquerque Public Schools’ Officer Wong suggests officers must first and foremost be approachable and must communicate as well as follow through with what is said while being fair and consistent.
As a 28-year law enforcement veteran, Wong says the possibility of making a positive impact on students makes policing in schools stand out. He also believes impacting students in positive ways may help to bring the police reputation to new and better light.
A willingness to listen to those in the school community makes a world of difference in the effect and impact an officer has on students.
Hilary Rodela
Hilary Rodela is currently a Surveillance Officer, a former Private Investigator, a former Crime Scene Investigator, and Evidence Technician. She worked for the Ruidoso (NM) Police Department as well as the Lubbock (TX) Police Department. She has written for several public safety publications and has extensive law enforcement and forensic training and is pursuing forensic expertise in various disciplines. Hilary is a freelance public safety writer and curriculum developer for the National Investigative Training Academy.
