Hiring New Police will not make schools safer
/The Obama administration wants to fund the hiring of 1,000 new school resource officers across the country — a priority Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller wants to make sure congressional lawmakers fund in the 2014 federal budget.
But, according to The Facts about Dangers of Added Police in Schools from The Sentencing Project, putting law enforcement officers in schools doesn’t necessarily decrease crime, but it can feed juveniles into the criminal justice system for offenses that educators might deal with using a suspension or expulsion.
“As well-intentioned as they may be, and as well-trained as they may be to handle crime and violence on the streets, they may not be well-trained to deal with juveniles and students with mental health issues,” said Jeremy Haile, federal advocacy counsel of The Sentencing Project.
In order to reduce violence and promote educational objectives, it is far more effective to provide the nation’s children with the necessary resources to support their emotional, mental, and scholastic development through strong school environments.
