1. Perceptions of Officer Roles in School Resource Officer Programs.
- Author
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Bowers, Alison W., Welfare, Laura E., and Lawson, Gerard
- Subjects
- *
SCHOOL police , *SCHOOL administrators , *CLASSROOM environment - Abstract
Although research on the effectiveness of school resource officers (SROs) remains mixed, the number of SROs in the U.S. continues to grow. We interviewed 18 SROs, SRO supervisors, and school leaders from exemplar programs to explore SRO role perceptions. Analysis revealed three themes: (1) SROs support a safe learning environment via multiple roles; (2) common SRO roles are law enforcer, educator, community liaison, and emergency manager; and (3) additional roles are site-specific. Our findings suggest a need to articulate expected SRO roles and recognize SROs often play multiple, overlapping roles to support a safe environment for student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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