Strategies That School Resource Officers Use to Build Relationships with Students

• In Event: School Resource Officers’ Training, Implementation and Influence on School Safety and Climate

Abstract

One of the unique aspects of the school resource officer (SRO) model of school policing is the explicit call for officers to be involved in the school beyond their capacity as law enforcement officers. According to the “triad model” espoused by the National Association of School Resource Officers, SROs should act not only as law enforcement officers, but also as educators and informal counselors. Implicit in each of these three roles is the importance of building relationships with students. However, little is known about the strategies that SROs use to build relationships with students or which students they might prioritize as they think about building relationships. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by analyzing interviews with nearly 50 SROs from two school districts. The findings from this study suggest that SROs use a variety of strategies for building relationships with students. For example, some SROs focused in particular on developing relationships with students who were known offenders or likely to act as informants. Overall, these findings indicate that even as SROs function as educators or informal counselors, the strategies they use in these capacities to build relationships with students are informed by a law enforcement perspective.

Authors

• Samantha Viano, George Mason University

• Benjamin W. Fisher, University of Louisville

• F. Chris Curran, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

• Aaron Kupchik, University of Delaware

• John Skinner, University of Maryland, Baltimore County