School Victims and Crime Reporting

The current study addresses whether school-related factors, such as the presence of security personnel, affect students' reporting of school violent crimes to police or nonpolice authorities. Data from the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey are used to assess such possible relationships. Current results revealed (a) limited variation in reporting from 1999 to 2007, and (b) limited evidence to suggest that school-related factors condition the decision to report. However, the authors did find that while the presence of security personnel at school reduced the odds of a school crime being reported to any official (school or police), such a presence increased the likelihood of police involvement when the victimization was reported.