The Roles of School-Based Law Enforcement Officers and How These Roles Are Established

• Author: Scott W. Bowman,Kathy Martinez-Prather,Joseph M. McKenna
• Published date: 01 June 2016
• DOI: 10.1177/0887403414551001
• Date: 01 June 2016
• Subject Matter: Articles

Criminal Justice Policy Review

2016, Vol. 27(4) 420 –443

© 2014 SAGE Publications

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DOI: 10.1177/0887403414551001

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Article

The Roles of School-Based

Law Enforcement Officers

and How These Roles Are

Established: A Qualitative

Study

Joseph M. McKenna1, Kathy Martinez-Prather1,

and Scott W. Bowman1

Abstract

Recently, considerable attention has been directed to violence and misbehavior in

U.S. schools. In turn, schools have looked for solutions to address such concerns,

one of which is the use of law enforcement officers. The aim of this research is

to explore how law enforcement officers define their actual roles, as well as their

perceived roles in an educational setting. Also, this study examines the process for

establishing these roles within the school environment. A total of 26 law enforcement

officers were contacted by phone and participated in an in-depth interview. Each

interview was transcribed into NVivo, and subsequently coded to identify general

themes and common phrases. The findings suggest that officers working in the

school environment are taking on many roles, some of which they do not consider

appropriate. In addition, who establishes these roles varies considerably. The findings

are discussed in terms of their deviation from prior literature as well as needed

future research endeavors.

Keywords

law enforcement, school-based law enforcement, K-12 schools, roles

1Texas State University, San Marcos, USA

Corresponding Author:

Kathy Martinez-Prather, Texas State University, School of Criminal Justice, 601 University Drive, San

Marcos, TX 78666, USA.

Email: km60@txstate.edu

551001CJPXXX10.1177/0887403414551001Criminal Justice Policy ReviewMcKenna et al.

research-article2014

McKenna et al. 421

Introduction

In recent years, researchers and news media have paid close attention to violence and

misbehavior in and around U.S. schools. The increased attention can in part be attrib-

uted to the negative impacts of such behavior. Incidents of violence and persistent

misbehavior have the potential to influence the physical well-being of students and

also affect attendance rates, graduation rates, academic performance, and the overall

perception of safety by students (Loukas, 2007; Milam, Furr-Holden, & Leaf, 2010;

Patton, Woolley, & Hong, 2011). As a result, school officials and communities across

the country have attempted to address school safety. By limiting the effects of negative

behaviors, it is believed that school environments will become safe places that enhance

opportunities for academic success.

One of the most prominent strategies used by U.S. schools in recent decades to

prevent acts of violent and persistent misbehavior is the utilization of law enforcement

officers (Coon & Travis, 2012; Kennedy, 2001). Law enforcement officers working in

schools have taken on a variety of roles and duties that typically consist of enforce-

ment, education, and/or mentoring (Clark, 2011; Coon & Travis, 2012; Finn, Shively,

McDevitt, Lassiter, & Rich, 2005; Kennedy, 2001; McDaniel, 2001). The enforcement

role involves activities and duties that are typical of the law enforcement profession

such as patrolling an assigned area, enforcing the law, and apprehending violators

(Coon & Travis, 2012; Lawrence, 2007). The education role entails duties that are

often carried out by educators. For instance, officers fulfilling an education role will

likely teach classes on a variety of topics (e.g., anti-drugs and alcohol) as well as give

presentations related to law and the criminal justice system (Weiler & Cray, 2011).

Finally, the mentoring role is often carried out by assisting students and their families

with law-related matters (Weiler & Cray, 2011). Officers working in the school envi-

ronment have been found to serve in each of these roles simultaneously, rather than

exclusively fulfilling just one (Coon & Travis, 2012; Lawrence, 2007).

Literature Review

History of Law Enforcement in Schools

The first documented occurrence of a law enforcement officer assigned to an American

school was in the late 1950s in Flint, Michigan (see generally, Coon & Travis, 2012;

Cray & Weiler, 2011; Patterson, 2007; Weiler & Cray, 2011). The program was titled

“Police-School Liaison Program” and resulted from a shift in policing philosophy that

was centered on proactive crime prevention. Under this program, an officer’s main duty

was to prevent crime before it happened in the school by acting as a deterrent. At first,

law enforcement officers were only placed in junior high schools, but after immediate

success, officers were also employed in senior high schools (Weiler & Cray, 2011). It

must be noted that success of the program was judged solely on the satisfaction of

administrators in the schools where officers were located. Several states including

Florida, Arizona, Minnesota, and North Carolina followed with a similar shift in policing

philosophy and began placing law enforcement officers in schools (Patterson, 2007).