Police officers should work as part of a community- based team that includes social, educational, and judicial resources of a particular locality in dealing with criminal justice issues. The public education system should be part of that community-based team because it provides an ideal base of operation for police officers to provide education, prevention, intervention, and enforcement services to the community. The San Antonio, Texas, Independent School District has developed an alternative approach known as educational law enforcement. Educational law enforcement builds on the value of community-oriented policing. It asserts that an emphasis on early intervention and the encouragement of citizenship values in youth will provide the greatest long-term investment in funding community police services. Police officers work one-on-one with students as mentors in order to gain the trust of the youth community. Educational law officers also seek to help students develop healthy self-esteem through achievable goals and projects. In addition, children receive formal instruction in concepts designed to improve decisionmaking skills. Educational law enforcement relies on enforcement activities as a last resort. 38 references