Multiple Partnerships Involved in Working with Schools:

Police Officer as a Partner to the Students

Students are the most impressionable group of people that you will work with in your career. They are still young enough to be forming their own impressions on of people and groups as a whole. Acting professionally can be an important influence on them. Most students have had little or no contact with the police in their lives.

Their opinions are formed by television or encounters their friends have had with law enforcement. Personal interaction allows students to dispel any myths or misconceptions they may have had about law enforcement and can be the beginning of a positive relationship.

As stated in the communication portion of this tutorial, if someone does not have a favorable impression of you, they will most likely be unwilling to help you. Working with the students allows officer the chance to make a good first impression and build a lifelong feeling of trust in law enforcement. One of the considerations that officers should have is that teenagers are still testing boundaries and working to establish their “self”. While this should not be a consideration when enforcing laws, it is something to remember when interacting with students.