Can school policing be trauma-informed? Lessons from Seattle
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe Seattle’s School Emphasis Officer (SEO) program, a distinctive approach to school policing that aims to connect at-risk students with services and has potential to incorporate a trauma-informed approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Using qualitative data collected from a process evaluation of SEO, including interviews, observations, and analysis of activity logs and program documentation, the authors explore elements of the program that could be adapted for the development of a trauma-informed policing (TIP) model and highlight some potential pitfalls.
Findings
SEO activities align well with trauma-informed principles of safety, promoting collaboration, and impulse management and are delivered in a context of trust-building, transparency, and responsivity. However, the program is poorly defined and has limited reach, has not been rigorously evaluated, and faces serious threats to sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
This study does not assess the effectiveness or appropriateness of TIP. A rigorous evaluation is needed to improve upon and test the model to ensure that increased contact between police and youth is effective and does not contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline.
Originality/value
To the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to describe a potential framework for TIP and lay out an agenda for further research and policy development around this idea.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the City of Seattle Office of City Auditor, contract number OCA 2013-05. Points of view expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the City of Seattle. The authors are extremely grateful to David Jones and Claudia Gross Shader of the City Auditor’s Office, Sgt. Adrian Diaz of Seattle Police Department, and the numerous representatives of the Seattle Police Department, the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, and Seattle Public Schools interviewed for this research as well as the helpful peer review comments and editorial support.
Citation
Gill, C., Gottfredson, D. and Hutzell, K. (2016), "Can school policing be trauma-informed? Lessons from Seattle", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 551-565. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-02-2016-0020
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited