Police in School

Some will argue that the presence of police officers in schools creates a hostile and intimidating environment for students. However, this argument fails to consider the positive relationships that can be built between police officers and students. This will teach students later in life to be less likely to be hostile to law enforcement, and more likely to know and be comfortable with the protocol done by law enforcement if they were to be stopped by law enforcement. It is important to recognize that police officers in schools often must undergo specialized training to work with young people effectively.  This training will specialize in de-escalation, officers will work with trained negotiators that will teach them how to use their words to solve most problems. And will also have classes by trained martial artists that will show officers how to disarm a student with a weapon without using excessive force and causing unnecessary harm. 

This will help ensure that police officers in schools are able to create a positive and supportive environment for students. While there are certainly valid concerns about the presence of police officers in schools, the benefits of having a law enforcement presence in schools far outweigh the potential drawbacks.  For example ((4) Police Officer Slams S.C. High School Student to the Ground – YouTube). This video shows a student that was having an issue with their teacher, the teacher had called the police on her but she still wouldn’t follow the officer’s instructions. The officer then uses brute force and overpowers the student out of her chair and arrests her in class. 

And this is the exact reason why these officers will have different training. Officers that protect high schools, will have the training that will emulate situations like this. In addition to that as a part of the training we will have the students vote on officers they want or officers, they don’t want in the school. In the fall, for officers to fully complete their training, the students have to feel comfortable around the officer and if the students say that the officer didn’t pass then they will not be eligible to work there. This is a good method because it will show students that their vote matters.(Poll: Why 80 Million Americans Didn’t Vote In Year Of Record Turnout : NPR). In this article, it says that 80 million eligible voters did not vote last year and their reasons for not voting were not being registered to vote 29%, not being interested in politics 23%, not liking the candidates 20%, feeling their vote wouldn’t have made a difference 16%, and undecided on whom to vote for 10%. So when the students graduate high school and are able to vote, hopefully, their experience with voting for police to protect them will encourage them to go and vote in the real world and lower the number of non-voters in the next election. 

(Keeping Schools Safe: Case Studies and Insights – Google Books). This article talks about how security wouldn’t work in school, but their argument is terrible for the simple reason that their version of security is just having cameras in the school. And my policy is that police will physically be there to keep the kids safe from gunmen and other harmful things.  Another way that we will keep schools safe is by using metal detectors this will prevent students from sneaking in weapons and other objects they can use to harm students. 

As a way to educate students who have a negative view of law enforcement, there will be a class that students will attend to educate them on how to deal with certain situations. For example on how to deal with an aggressive cop and educating students on their rights as citizens and minors. This will keep students from getting taken advantage of by corrupt police and not being intimidated by the badge. And we know this is important by looking at the Central Park Five case. This case is about a lady who was raped in Central Park at night, and five African American boys who were in the park that night would be accused and pressured, by corrupt police into making up a false story about how they raped the lady. They would go on to spend their adolescence in jail with grown men where they would go on to be taken advantage of by the prisoners and the system. They would later have to admit that they did the crime to be released, well all except one his name was Korey Wise. He never admitted to the crime because he never did it, the man who actually did it years later came out admitting his crime, and Kory was released. (Central Park Five: Crime, Coverage & Settlement (history.com). All of this is to show how important it is to be educated in the system, and also one of the many reasons “citizens” mainly the African American community don’t trust the police. Hopefully having police in school will show students that not all police are bad and that they can trust them, but also be aware that there are corrupt police and we need to know how to safely deal with them. The debate around police officers in schools has been raging for years, with some individuals arguing that their presence is unnecessary and even harmful. However, the fact remains that police officers play an essential role in ensuring increased safety around schools. These professionals are trained to respond quickly to any situation, making them an invaluable asset during emergencies.

One of the primary arguments for having police officers in schools is their ability to respond quickly to threats. In the event of a school shooting or other dangerous situation, time is of the essence. Having a police officer on-site can significantly reduce response time and increase the chances of minimizing harm. This means students and staff members can feel safer knowing they have someone who can step in immediately if needed. Moreover, having police officers stationed at schools provides an added level of security that deters potential perpetrators from committing violent acts on campus. In conclusion, Police officers in schools will help keep students safe, build positive relationships between law enforcement and young people, and work with administrators and teachers. Officers in schools are not there to be a warden or somebody that is just there to be security. They are there to make a difference teach young people the importance of having good officers in the community and most importantly keep everyone in school safe.

References

(4) Police Officer Slams S.C. High School Student to the Ground – YouTube).

(Poll: Why 80 Million Americans Didn’t Vote In Year Of Record Turnout : NPR)

(Keeping Schools Safe: Case Studies and Insights – Google Books)

(Central Park Five: Crime, Coverage & Settlement (history.com)