Partnering to Reduce School Crime
Collaborative Efforts to Reduce
School Crime Referrals
in Hennepin County
Presenters
Minneapolis Public Schools
Jason Matlock, Manager Office of Emergency,
Management Safety and Security
Jim Johnson, Director of Student Support Services
Minneapolis Police Department
Lt. Andy Smith, Commander Juvenile Unit
Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
Tom Arneson, Manager Juvenile Prosecution
Partnering to Reduce School Crime
 Need Partnership among Schools, Police
and County Attorney
 Minneapolis Public Schools
 Minneapolis Police Department
 Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
 Shared Vision
 Consistent Policies and Practices
Characteristics of Hennepin Co
School Crime 2006-2007 School Year
2,513 total referrals for crimes in school
Type of Crime:
 50% Disorderly
Conduct
 25% Assault
 9% Property
 8% Theft/Receiving
 4% Weapons
Level of Offense
 46% Juvenile Petty
Offense *
 40% Misdemeanor
 7% Felony
 6% Gross
Misdemeanor
* Includes primarily offenses that would be misdemeanors if committed
by an adult, where youth has 0 or 1 prior adjudications for misdemeanor
level petty offense.
Why Re-Examine Juvenile Justice
Response to School Crime?
 Relatively minor behavior being
criminalized, may have been addressed in
the past within the schools
 Juvenile justice response is not immediate
 Juvenile court options for intervention
limited
 Is school safety enhanced?
 A good use of juvenile justice resources?
Assumptions Underlying School Crime
Responses
 School learning environments should be safe,
secure and orderly for students, teachers, staff,
and guests
 Students should be attending school and
achieving educational success
 Responses to misbehavior should be timely,
proportional, and graduated
 Juvenile justice involvement should be reserved
for more serious offenses and youth who do not
respond to in-school or alternative interventions
County Attorney Strategies
 Encouraged schools and law enforcement to
address minor misbehavior within schools
 Diversion Opportunities
 “Letter Diversion” for de minimis misconduct Notify parents and ask them to address behavior
 Formal Diversion Programming
 Juvenile Petty Offenses – Restorative Justice
Programming
 Focus on Disorderly Conduct Referrals
 Disorderly Conduct cases referred by schools
generally handled by “Letter Diversion”
County Attorney Strategies
Serious cases still will be referred to court.
Criteria determine a serious case:
 Facts of case are serious
 Respondent already has case open in court
 Law enforcement indicates disciplinary
interventions at school have been attempted
with no change in behavior
 Previous diversions
Minneapolis School Crime Referrals
2006 to 2012
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Mpls Total School
Crime Referrals
Mpls Disorderly
Conduct Referrals
Juvenile Crime Referrals
2007-Present
2007
‘06/07 School Year
2011
‘11/12 School Year
% Change
Total Referrals from
Hennepin Law
Enforcement
10,664
7,391
-31%
Minneapolis School
Crime Referrals
919
259
-72%
Minneapolis School
Disorderly Conduct
Referrals
409
80
-80%
Hennepin County
Total School Crime
Referrals
2,513
1,106
-56%
Hennepin County
Total School
Disorderly Conduct
Referrals
1,258
460
-64%
Minneapolis School Crime Referrals
Offense Type
2006-2007 School Year
2011-2012 School Year
Number
% of
Total
Assault
94
36%
45%
Disorderly
80
31%
96
10%
Property
23
9%
Receiving/The
ft
52
6%
Receiving/The
ft
18
7%
Weapons
38
4%
Weapons
29
11%
Other
35
4%
Other
15
6%
Offense
Type
Number
% of
Total
Assault
289
31%
Disorderly
409
Property
Offense
Type
Minneapolis School Crime Referrals
Offense Severity
2006-2007 School Year
2011-2012 School Year
Felony (53)
6%
Felony (22)
9%
Gross Misdemeanor
(55)
6%
Gross Misdemeanor
(8)
3%
Misdemeanor (356)
39%
Misdemeanor (122)
47%
Petty Offense (453)
49%
Petty Offense (107)
41%
Tom Arneson
Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
Desk: 612-348-9717
Cell: 612-991-8489
Email: tom.arneson@co.hennepin.mn.us
MPS and MPD
Partnering to Reduce School Crime
 In 2008 MPS and MPD restarted their
partnership
 This was directly related to Mayor Rybak’s
Blueprint for Reducing Youth Violence
 There are 16 officers, 1 sergeant, and 1
school patrol agent assigned to the SRO unit
 MPS also made a change in philosophy
around the difference between behavior and
crime
MPS and MPD
Partnering to Reduce School Crime
89% of the documented contacts by the SRO’s are during positive
interactions
MPS and MPD
Partnering to Reduce School Crime
62% of the documented criminal incidents DO NOT end in arrest or citation
MPS and MPD
Partnering to Reduce School Crime
ONLY 9% of the total suspensions also end in an arrest or citation
MPS and MPD
Partnering to Reduce School Crime
Numbers are nice, but what do they really tell
you?
MPS and MPD
Partnering to Reduce School Crime
Jason Matlock
Minneapolis Public Schools
Office of Emergency
Management, Safety & Security
o) 612-668-0178
c) 612-290-0056
jason.matlock@mpls.k12.mn.us
School Resource Officer Selection
Why Officers have been selected in the past
1.
2.
3.
4.
Seniority
Low production numbers on the street
Not wanted by other units
Consistently in “trouble”
Having the right people is
EVERYTHING!
Eight Essential Criteria for SRO
Selection
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Likes Kids (Yes, it should be obvious)
Has the correct demeanor and people skills
Has experience as a patrol officer
Is able to work independently
Is EXCEPTIONALLY dependable
Has a history of working very hard
Is or can be an effective “teacher”
Very high integrity
Selection Process
1. Have the interested officer submit a letter
of interest (Writing/ Language sample)
2. Panel interview that includes a school
representative
3. Ask questions that measure actual life
examples that demonstrate the eight
essential criteria
4. Internal Affairs History
Training
1. Be clear about expectations from both the police
department and the schools (i.e. Not there for
discipline issues)
2. Understand special training is required
 Mentoring skills
 Social Networking applications (Facebook, etc.)
 Mental Health issues
 De-escalation techniques
 Special Ed issues
 Mediation skills
Misc. Info

US Department of Justice – Office of Community Oriented
Policing Services is a great online resource.
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?item=140

Keep the SRO engaged with the police department - daily
intelligence and info should flow both ways. (PREVENTION)

Establishing good relationships with school administration
and staff is just as important as relationships with students.

Understand there will be occasional disagreements
between the school and the police department

Cross train school staff and SROs.
Lt. Andy Smith
Minneapolis Police Department
Desk: 612-290-6269
Cell: 612-290-6269
Email: andy.smith@minneapolismn.gov
Partnering to Reduce School Crime
Collaborative Efforts to Reduce
School Crime Referrals
in Hennepin County