High School Students' Perceptions of the Baltimore City School Police Force: Policy-Informed Research

• In Event: 58.034 - Putting Policy Into Perspective: Exposing Racializing Discourses Through Explorations of Minoritized Students' Perceptions and Practices

Abstract

Due to increases in juvenile violence and high-profile school shootings during the 1990s, the United States has seen increased implementation of policies and practices intended to improve the safety and well-being of students (Fader, Lockwood, Schall & Stokes, 2015). Among various implementation efforts was the creation of school resource officers (SROs), a program that assigns uniformed police officers to public schools (Bracey, 2010). Maryland statute specifically provides a “Baltimore City School Police Force,” which is comprised of police officers trained through the Maryland Police Training Commission and the Civil Service Commission of Baltimore City (Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2014).
On March 31, 2015, Baltimore City school officials outlined sweeping changes to how Baltimore’s School Police Force operates. While many perspectives were shared in the current public debate in Baltimore City, including those of parents, teachers, advocates, and police officials and leaders, empirical research on the perceptions of the roles, interactions and relations among youth and the Baltimore City School Police Force is lacking. Specifically, in the midst of the current legislative debate, there appears to be no research on whether police should be allowed in schools or whether they should be armed. In light of the highly publicized unrest involving youth in Baltimore City, the question of the state of police-student relationships is especially salient.
The current study focuses on (1) student perceptions of the roles, interactions, and relationships with police officers in the school setting, (2) how the implementation of current school policing policies differ among the sample of students and their respective schools, (3) how relations between students and police officers in the school appear to translate to youths’ perceptions of police officers in the larger local community, and (4) suggestions from students about ways in which to improve the relation between youth and community and school police officers.
In order to assess high school student perspectives, a team of graduate students is currently in the process of conducting focus groups with students attending various Baltimore City public high schools. To date, we have conducted nine focus groups with several more scheduled in the coming months. Initial findings suggest that perception of police officers in the schools vary greatly from group to group, largely dependent on various school climate factors and personality of particular officers. However, most youth report feeling intimated or fearful of the police officers in their community. Regardless of the perception of police officers, students proposed several ideas to improve the relation between youth and police officers. Ideas ranged from better mental health assessments of police officers to specialized training for dealing with adolescents in a developmentally appropriate manner to police officers taking a more active role in their schools or other activities. Results of the research will be shared with policymakers, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders in hopes to shed much needed light on the suggestions from students at these schools and ensure that their opinions are included in the policy making process.

Author

• Patty Esparza, University of Maryland - Baltimore County