Armed School Resource Officers and School Shootings

SOURCE www.npr.org
Lucy Sorensen, an associate professor, discusses the role of armed school resource officers in preventing school shootings, highlighting the pros and cons of their effectiveness.

Key Points

  • Half of all schools in the U.S. have school resource officers, either part-time or full-time.
  • Research on the effectiveness of school resource officers in preventing violence in schools is mixed.

Pros

  • Armed school resource officers can play a crucial role in stopping school shootings.
  • Having armed police in schools can potentially prevent more casualties during an active shooter situation.

Cons

  • There are instances where school resource officers have been ineffective in mitigating harm during school shootings.
  • Research on the effectiveness of school resource officers in combating gun violence is inconclusive.