ACLU report says school resource officers don’t improve school safety
DES MOINES, Iowa —
The ACLU of Iowa is calling for changes to school resource officer programs across the state, arguing that SROs do not truly keep students safe.
In a new report, the ACLU says there is little evidence that school resource officers improve overall school safety. Instead, the group says police presence can increase student arrests for behavior that previously would have been handled by school administrators.
“This can funnel kids into the juvenile delinquency and adult criminal court systems. And when kids interact with those systems and enter those systems, it often can leave a lifelong mark,” said Rita Bettis Austen with the ACLU of Iowa.
The ACLU recommends schools invest more heavily in counselors, social workers and mental health professionals instead of expanding SRO programs.
But Waukee Police Chief Chad McCluskey says the value of an SRO cannot be measured that way.
McCluskey says SROs do much more than respond to emergencies. He says many spend their day building relationships with students, helping de-escalate conflicts and serving as a trusted adult inside the school.
“While you may not have statistics to go along with a criminal charge cause that’s not the goal, the actual value I think is immeasurable,” McCluskey said.
He also says reports like the one the ACLU released often do not include statistics for times when SROs steer situations away from referrals and arrests.
“Research for yourself and look at places where they’ve gone away from the SRO program. And look at what challenges those have caused those agencies and those cities,” he said.
You can find the ACLU’s full report on their website.
