Considering Bullying in Schools: Do SROs Play an Effective Role in Addressing this Problem?

• In Event: Law Enforcement Officers in Schools

Abstract

School bullying is a serious concern that has been implicated as a causal factor in several incidents of extreme school violence. Accordingly, the role of the police in bullying intervention is expanding. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of school resource officers (SROs) on the frequency of school-based bullying. Data come from the 2006 School Survey on Crime and Safety. Binary logistic regression is used to study the relationship between law enforcement and school security measures and other school characteristics, and frequent bullying. Separate models are estimated for elementary, middle, and high schools. Findings indicate that SROs have no effect on the frequency of bullying at school, and law enforcement and school security measures have limited effect. Conversely, school characteristics increase schools’ odds of having frequent bullying. Bullying is transitioning from a problem mainly addressed by schools to one that includes the involvement of the criminal justice system. However, the impact of SROs on bullying has received little prior research attention, even though SROs are now commonplace in schools. By separating analyses by school type, this study provides insight of value for education and police leaders considering how to best use their resources to prevent bullying.

Authors

• Robin Lafferty, University of Guelph

• Ryan Broll, University of Guelph