School-based law enforcement, student safety, and related school outcomes

• In Event: School Safety Strategies: Findings from WestEd's Health and Justice Program

Abstract

School-based law enforcement has existed for a number of decades, yet we continue to face many challenges when integrating police into the educational environment. Some suggest school police contribute to increased involvement of youth in the justice system, while others offer that school policing yields positive outcomes related to school safety, crime, and relationships between students and police. The evidence to date is mixed and random assignment designs have not been used to account for other unobservable factors. Further, the current empirical literature says little about how or why the certain results were achieved. The current study addresses these gaps. It first identifies an innovative and comprehensive framework for implementing a school-based law enforcement program and then subjects that framework to a rigorous randomized evaluation. The study involves 23 secondary schools in Texas, and examines outcomes related to school safety, discipline, achievement, and relationships between students and law enforcement staff. The current paper will present the first year of data including the characteristics of students, their relationships with law enforcement, and law enforcement interactions within school campuses using data from self-report student surveys, student records, and documentation of officer encounters with students on campuses.

Authors

• Alexis Stern, WestEd

• Trevor Fronius, WestEd

• Sarah Guckenburg, WestEd

• Hannah Persson, WestEd

• Anthony Petrosino, WestEd

• Joesph M. McKenna, Texas State, Texas School Safety Center