In April, a video from San Antonio, Texas, showed a police officer using excessive force during the arrest of a student. This video, in which the police officer can be seen smiling after brutalising the student, went viral and provoked a great deal of social outrage. With incidents like this occurring, the recent increase in U.S. police officers being deployed to schools has been questioned. So what are the global trends for the deployment of police to schools? Should Korea also consider the deployment of police officers to schools?

 What are SROs?

   Simply put, SROs, School Resource Officers, are law enforcement officers who are deployed to schools. They are responsible for the security and safety of students, and also commissioned to promote cooperation between students and police. However, more recently, their function has become more concentrated on guaranteeing security and safety rather than building cooperation with students.

Image by City of St. Clould, Florida

   This change of SRO functions can be explained by looking at the reasons why SRO was deployed to school at first place. When SROs were first introduced in 1953 in Michigan State, plain-clothes police officers were primarily deployed in middle schools as well as elementary schools, and sought to eradicate proportionally minor problems such as school bullies or paedophiles. However, with the outbreak of gun shootings at the Texas University in 1996, followed by gun shooting at the Virginia Tech in 1999, numerous casualties of mainly students sustained injuries and deaths. Eventually these incidents led to social demand for stronger SROs in full police uniforms and being armed with with batons, handcuffs, and pistols.

Image by Buena Park Police

American policies on police force deployment in school and current situation                                                 

   In 1999, another shooting, this time in Colorado Columbia High School, left 13 dead and 20 injured. In response to this crisis, Bill Clinton signed the crime bill's Cops on the Beat program, which included central government support for SROs. For instance, the cops grant financed the placement of 100,000 additional regional police officers armed with plastic cuffs and stun guns.

   The major goal of SROs in the US is to punish, prevent and monitor possible crimes rather than educate or interact with students. However, despite these strong goals of SROs, illegal activities such as drug misuse and gang activities are still very active in schools. In order to control and prohibit rising number of illegal activities, SROs have been given more power and some schools have even taken matters into their own hands by installing metal detectors at school gates or by installing CCTV cameras around the school premises.

   Yet these somewhat extreme measures are criticised by psychologists who warn that “they may guarantee physical security but they could cause psychological instability.” These concerns, especially on the subject of ethics, are shared by many members of the public.

Policies of police force deployment in school and current situation in UK         

   In the UK, there is a program known as the SSP (Safer Schools Partnership) which was initiated in 2006. For each borough, 10 police officers form one team to guarantee safety and security in schools and in secondary education centers. They also have the right to investigate any event which is connected to crime. However, their approach to students is quite different to that of SROs. Through classes and campaigns, not only they educate students about the risks of drugs and underage alcohol consumption, but also invite students to participate in the fight against these illegal activities.

   Despite the efforts of the SSP, they are facing financial problems due to budget cuts. Unlike the US, the security of schools in the UK is less of an issue due to the strict firearm controls, so the government felt justified in reducing the SSPs budget by 20%. Considering that police is now solely responsible to finance and manage of SSP program, the reduction of the SSP program was inevitable. For instance, after the budget cut, the SSP program abandoned its monthly event and switched it to an annual event. Additionally, rather than regional reunions celebrated by celebrities as before, regular education inside the school are being carried out in nowadays and also the police force serving in SSP program was downsized.

Image by Mail Online

Policies of police force deployment in school and current situation in South Korea        

   Currently in South Korea, there is no nationwide program of police deployment in school such as SRO or SSP program. Nonetheless, there is a “school police officer” who is stationed at the school. Each school officer is responsible for 10 schools and mainly acts as a countermeasure against school violence. More specifically they educate students, teachers and parents how to act against crimes. They also investigate any report of school violence made through 117 call service or 117 mobile application. 117 call service and 117 mobile application are the platforms provided by police allowing students to report school violence or to get a consultation and to take necessary measure against the perpetrator to protect the victim.

Image by yonhapnews

   However the “school police officer” was very often criticized for its lack of efficiency in prevention of school violence and in response to school violence after it was reported. Traditionally Korean schools were notorious of their unsociable and conservative culture. In this atmosphere, not only it’s difficult to report a crime but it’s also difficult to carry out decent countermeasures and investigation and too often the whistleblowers are also punished or revenged.

   Many professors and students who witnessed or experienced such matter also testifies that there’s a tacit agreement between the school and police, not to intervene in school matter unless they receive an official report from school. Worst of all, in fear of endangering the school’s reputation many shameful events are covered up by school and without a doubt, in this process many injustices occurs.

   For instance, as the movie “Silenced” revealed to the public that at Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired, young deaf students were the victims of repeated sexual assaults by faculty members in the early 2000s. But despite report of a whistleblower, police didn’t carry out any proper investigation out and due to this outrageous negligence sexual assaults continued over five years. After it was revealed the victims have filed many lawsuits but under the reason of lack of evidence, the charge were dropped.

Movie poster of film "Silenced"

  After this horrifying event public has voiced the need of more proper protection of students. Yet deployment of police force in school is a double-edged sword. It does guaranty physical safety of students and professor but it also arouses many criticisms regarding problems of ethic, finance and efficiency. Thus our society should be careful when considering deployment of more aggressive police force in school.   

조상현  jeremycho318@gmail.com

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