Policing America's Educational Systems

Policing America?s Educational Systems, edited by John Harrison Watts, describes methods of policing modern educational settings, covering both K-12 public school and public or private colleges and universities.

Using topical examples, subject-matter experts introduce the history of policing in elementary and high schools, the legal context governing educational institutions, and ways to assess risk and prevent or respond to crime, including active-shooter incidents. The opening section covers primary and secondary education, while the second focuses on postsecondary educational settings. A final section offers a theoretical approach to understanding campus crime and discusses the role of counseling and mental health in keeping students safe. A concluding chapter looks at the future of policing in education. Contributors bring both academic and practitioner experience to each topic covered, and useful features include learning objectives, chapter summaries, key terms, and discussion questions that further explore the issues and controversies covered in that section.

This textbook is designed for courses in school or campus policing within criminal justice, social work, and sociology programs, and is also appropriate for in-service training for professionals involved in school or campus policing and safety.

Policing the K-12 Public School System; 1. The Evolution of Policing in K-12 Public Education; 2. Criminal Procedure and Law within the Context of the Educational Environment; 3. The School Resource Officer (SRO); 4. Public School District Police Departments; Policing the College Campus; 5. Policing the College Campus; 6. Risk Assessment at the College Campus; 7. Investigating Crime on a College Campus; Responding to Crime on Campus; 8. Active Shooter/Hostile Event (ASHE) Awareness and Response; 9. A Review of Campus Shootings; 10. Concealed Carry on Campus; Understanding Crime on Campus; 11. Explanations of Crime on Campus based on Theory; 12. Safe Schools Are No Accident: Prosocial Development is Key; 13. The Future of Policing in Education.

John Harrison Watts, PhD. Dr. Watts is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. He has spent over 20 years in higher education with former faculty appointments at Washburn University (Kansas), Cameron University (Oklahoma), and Vernon College (Texas). Prior to teaching, he was a former decorated police detective and criminal investigation division commander with a Master Peace Officer license through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. He is a graduate of the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas’s Leadership & Command College. His research interests and publications are in policing and law.