Nearly half of all public schools have assigned police officers, commonly referred to as school resource officers (SROs) or education officers. Assigning Police Officers to Schools summarizes the typical duties of SROs, synthesizes the research pertaining to their effectiveness, and presents issues for communities to bear in mind when considering the adoption of an SRO model.

Braga argues that problem-oriented policing has been evaluated as effective in controlling a wide range of crime and disorder problems, ranging from burglaries and robberies, to prostitution and various types of violence. He analyzes why problem-oriented policing interventions are effective and, thereby, intends to broaden the use of this approach in everyday policing.Problem-oriented policing directs attention and resources to the underlying problems that lurk behind many recurring crime problems. Braga summarizes the extensive worldwide research literature on three types of interventions:reducing opportunities for crime at problem-plagued places (e.g., bars, housing projects) through enforcement-oriented and/or environmental measures;targeting high-activity (repeat) offenders; andprotecting the victims of repetitive offenses. Braga concludes with ideas for correcting deficiencies in current approaches to problem-oriented policing. These suggestions address how to improve crime analysis, enhance the measurement of police performance, and secure productive police-community partnerships.