DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my wife Sandy and children Erin and Patrick. Without their love, support, and patience, its completion would not have been possible. I would also like to thank my parents, Greg and Orita for providing me with a strong moral foundation, a sense of confidence, and the determination to succeed. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to sincerely thank those who encouraged and assisted me throughout the completion of my doctoral degree. Dr. Charles Hausman for

more »

... his expertise and guidance and for his willingness to serve as chair. For the members of my committee, Dr. Robert Biggin, Dr. Larry Collins, and Dr. Jessica Hearn, whose feedback and commitment made this personal goal achievable. I would also like to thank Sara Adkins, Leeann Morrison, and the members of the Kentucky Center for School Safety and Kentucky Department of Education for their assistance and the many SROs and school administrators that aided me in obtaining and verifying the data used in this research. I would also like to recognize the Lord who blessed me with the opportunity to continue my educational pursuits and engage in research that will hopefully prove beneficial in the quest for improvements in school safety. v ABSTRACT School violence has become a focal point throughout the United States, sparked by violent mass killings at schools throughout the nation. In response to these horrific attacks, school officials, law enforcement, parents, and others have taken measures to improve school safety. One of the most substantial efforts includes the utilization of specially trained police officers (SROs) in our schools. Currently, there are approximately 230 SROs assigned to Kentucky schools (KASRO, 2013) and an estimated 20,000 SROs nationally (Myrstol, 2010). Regardless of the importance of maintaining safe schools and an environment that is conducive to learning, relatively little research has been conducted examining the effectiveness of these programs and the variables that may influence those findings (Raymond, 2010). This research focuses on the impact SROs have on reported criminal and board violation rates at predominantly rural Kentucky high schools. The research uses two studies to evaluate this impact. One study involves a pre-post examination comparing high school violation rates prior the implementation of a full-time SRO and then after their implementation. The second study is a comparative examination of violation rates from high schools without SROs to violation rates from high schools with full-time SROs. The findings in both studies indicate no change in reported criminal violation rates between school populations without SROs and those with SROs; however, results indicate lower board violation rates at schools with full-time SROs when compared to schools without SROs. Variables