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Stopping Vandalism with Behavior Modification

Stopping Vandalism with Behavior Modification

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The term vandalism is defined as “the deliberate or mischievous destruction or damage of property”. Acts of vandalism can occur on both private and public property, and at locations where there is little risk of the perpetrator being caught. Vandalism can occur at any time of the day, but is commonly committed at night, when there is less civilian oversight, and thus, less likelihood the suspect will be seen and caught.

These ideal situations for perpetrators of vandalism to commit the crime can be analyzed from a prevention point-of-view, leading to a means of behavior modification appropriate for deterring the act. While an act of vandalism is often seen as a senseless crime, it is obvious that any type of behavior does not occur without motivation.

Schools, who have implemented behavior-modifying programs which include positive environment reinforcement, as well as minimalizing occasions of student disruption, have shown a 78 per cent reduction in instances of vandalism. The interruption of an individual about to commit an act of vandalism, via this type of behavior modification, serves as an excellent method of crime prevention.

The vandalism camera works as a preventative measure against occurrences of the crime by way of behavior modification. The on-board technology of this type of camera sends out a verbal alert when triggered and serves as a behavioral intervention, causing the perpetrator to pause and reflect as to why they are committing the crime.

The placement and use of the anti-vandalism camera prevents instances of vandalism from occurring due to the nature of the camera. Because would-be vandals do not want to attempt the crime when the risk of being captured on camera is high, augmenting their behavior, the vandal simply moves on. 

How to Deter School Vandalism

How to Deter School Vandalism

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In some ways, destroying another person’s property can be misconstrued as a means of “blowing off steam”. Some may even argue that some form of vandalism is art and beneficial to the community. Few argue against the fact  that vandalism is destroying property owned by someone else.  If that property is public property, it is owned by all in the community, not just a few who decide to destroy it. Nonetheless, vandalism in all forms is a serious crime with serious side-effects, and it’s committed all too commonly.

Unfortunately, a great percentage of the perpetrators are children, and schools become their target. When one student sees their peer commit an act of vandalism there is more likely to be second occurrence with a different student.  Children mimic what they see, and once one child breaks the ice and crosses that first boundary, it becomes that much easier for another child to join in.

The consequences of these crimes  are severe and affect everyone in the community, both directly and indirectly.  As a community caring for the next generation, we must do what we can to prevent these crimes from occurring.

 

Here are three key suggestions the community can do to help prevent these instances,  assist our children and help our schools stand against school vandalism:

Educate

Spending time with and talking to children about the importance of responsibility.  Respecting other people’s property is a very important lesson for everyone to learn.  This education should take place in the family but should be reinforced within the community, either through the school or community groups.

 Active Programs

Extracurricular activities like youth centers, athletics, and after-school study groups with current programs keep the kids busy and healthy.

 Visible Security

Visible security in the form of officers, cameras and posted signs introduces the idea to the possible mischief maker that there is a possibility that they may get caught. The idea of getting caught takes on a form of responsibility within the mind, and this in turn reduces the prospect of a crime occurring.

School Lockers

The Cost of School Safety

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School safety can be very costly. For example, security night guards on the low end, could cost a school around $30,000-$40,000 each year.  This is assuming that at least one officer is paid full-time for each night annually at $10- $15/hour.

Most school districts have more than one school, which could mean for three schools the annual cost could jump to $90,000- $120,000. This is the cost for night patrols only.  A 24/7 patrol could cost a school $270,000-$360,000 for one officer per a school. If a school adds armed guards,  then that number is higher because the average police officer makes $58,000 annually. The cost of human resources can be expensive, however, school safety technologies are costly as well.

Technology may be less expensive over time, but it still costs the school a decent amount of money. According to the Connecticut General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Research (OLR), titled “School Security Technologies”,  a single low end camera cost around $500 to $1,000, and a high resolution camera can cost around $8,000. Most schools have more than one camera. OLR estimates for a small elementary school the cost for cameras is around $20,000 to $30,000, and for a large high school, it is around $200,000. This does not include other School Safety items such as: scan cards, alarms, electronic databases, videotaping, and remote access for doorways.  And most likely, does not include the cost to run the camera such as the electricity, the networking , or the monitoring.  A more modern technology system can cost as much as $400,000.

It is hard to track school annual budgets for security nationally because most schools do not have a separate assigned budget code. However, Education Week estimates the “market for security systems integration in educational institutions is predicted to expand to $4.9 billion in 2017, an 81.5 percent increase from $2.7 billion last year”.

The cost of school safety is expensive, but there is no comparison to the value of children’s lives.  Let us make the lives of children a priority, by placing school security into the 2017 budget.

School safety

School Security and School Safety

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With Spring Break fast approaching, schools should be focusing on plans to protect their vacant campuses during the extended break. Every year, schools become targets for vandalism, trespassing, graffiti and theft, leaving behind extensive and EXPENSIVE damages for the district.

As we focus on “school security” and “school safety,” these two terms seem interchangeable, but there is difference between the two. Dan Flynn, author of the article “The ABCs of School Security” featured in Police Chief Magazine differentiates between the two.

School safety relies on the condition of the school, where school security relies on the means and products in which to deliver the safe environment. School safety is an “ideal” state of being  free of any hazards or danger. Building codes, preventative maintenance efforts, good community, and well trained staff are all examples of what can create a safer school environment.  School security is the condition of being protected or prevented from danger. Security cameras, campus police and school resource officers, and CPTED are examples of school security. When schools improve on their security efforts, they tend to improve their overall safety of the school.

Police Chief Magazine also suggests collaborating between law enforcement experts and the private security industry experts to develop school security programs. By training the teachers and providing the latest technology and security systems in schools will also provide a safer environment for the students and faculty.