WHEN IS A POLICE OFFICER AN OFFICER OF THE LAW?: THE STATUS OF POLICE OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS

A key component of the "school to prison pipeline" is the constant presence of police officers in schools. School resource officers, though employed by the school district rather than the police department, should be treated legally as police officers, requiring them to follow commonly accepted standards of police conduct in investigating and interrogating crime in schools. This approach is better for all players in the school discipline scene: school officials, police officers and, most importantly, students.