Why we need cops in schools
To the editor:
I think every law enforcement supervisor or manager has asked themselves this question at least once. I would like to answer the question for all of us. We send our children to school and turn them over to the educational system and teachers hoping that they will teach them what they need, to become successful contributing citizens in today’s society. We assume that they are safe and protected at school much like we were all those many years ago. (At least it was for some of us.)
Do you know what is happening in your child’s school today? I’m not talking about when the next football game is scheduled or when the report cards are coming home. Do you have any idea what your son or daughter is being exposed to on their campus?
On every campus in America there are people that want to take advantage of weaker or unsuspecting young people. If you have read the paper, watched TV or spoken with your own child then you know school isn’t what it used to be. We now have young people that are attending school wearing monitoring devices because they are on probation. The first line in most juvenile probation orders is, “Will attend school regularly”, not knowing or caring if the child is passing anything but time. We also have the influence of the media in your child’s school. All the girls must look and dress like Britney and all the boys try to look like they are either 25 or just out of the joint. They are seeing things at an earlier age, experimenting with things that we learned in college or after. It is common now for kids to attend school that are pregnant, or going to be. Kids are being bullied, harassed, intimidated, threatened and battered every day.
The staff and administration is doing all they can to protect the students but they need help. Most secondary schools now are like a small city or village. The principal is the mayor, responsible for the test scores, the budget, staff training, and operating a safe secure environment. The classified employees are the city workers keeping the halls clean, the heat running and the inventory in order. Members of the instructional staff are the shop keepers and businesses that are there to conduct the business of learning or serving the citizens, the students. If your school has 1,000 students the school is a village of about 1,400 people. Is there a village in your area with over 1,000 people that does not have some form of law enforcement?
This is where the School-Based law enforcement officer (School Resource Officer, SRO) fits. The School Resource Officer or Deputy becomes the Chief of Police of the village. He/She will do patrol, conduct investigations, do follow up counseling, some diversion, teach crime prevention and conduct Problem Orientated Police work daily. These men and women are doing a fantastic job protecting our children and being a positive role model at the school. The SROs are the first lines of defense for students. We all know what can happen when the feeling of helplessness is so overwhelming for a young person. The men and women that are working at school are being productive and changing the way law enforcement and students view each other. When the students see a police officer willing to come into their world and work with them they see an ally.
The cops working in the schools are making a difference. Teachers feel safer, parents feel better taking their kids to school, and administrators get to go back into the business of education. But much more important, children feel safer. They will be able to learn more and stay children a little longer. So the next time you hear someone ask, “Why do we need cops in the school?” The answer should be, “Yes we do because we think your child is worth it, don’t you?”
This was written by a close friend and colleague, Dr. Jim Corbin, a retired Orlando Police Officer, now a teacher in an Orlando High School and the author of a School Based Training Curriculum, that he also teaches nationwide for Corbin & Associates, Inc. Jim has given me permission to relate his letter
In my opinion and experience with the SRO concept, it was a wise decision by Chief Petrovich and school administrators to pursue this outcome, to continue the SRO program!
John F. Cataldi, Jr
Cape Coral
(Editor’s note: John Cataldi is a candidate for city council, District 6)