“Call our financial advisor and move all of our investment money into body camera manufacturers,” I recently told my wife. My comment was made tongue-in-cheek in reflection of the pathetic state of our public policy reaction to a public safety crisis, rather than as a passing joke or disrespectful and glib response to one of […]
Category Archive: School Safety Issues
When was the last time your school did a non-custodial parent safety drill?
Your school does active shooter drills, but when was the last time you did a non-custodial parent drill? We have seen countless numbers of active shooter drills and exercises conducted since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings less than two years ago. Police tactical teams have worked with school principals and superintendents to fine tune […]
“Non-profit” school safety consultants: DO pay attention to the man behind the curtain
In the legendary Wizard of Oz movie, Dorothy’s dog Toto unmasks the truth behind the smoke-and-mirrors of the Wizard by pulling back the curtain where this small man was controlling the imagery of his being something more than what he truly was in real life. This lesson from Oz is one that school superintendents and […]
Buyer beware of “non-profit” representations by school safety consultants
A company claiming “non-profit” status is much more credible and trustworthy, and less expensive to work with, than their for-profit corporation counterparts. Or is it? The public perception is that “non-profits” are charitable do-gooders who work for the public good will, charge less for their services, and have income and chief executives making a lot […]
School leaders must be educated consumers on safety assessment consultants
“You’ve got to know when to hold’em. Know when to fold’em. Know when to walk away and know when to run.” This advice from country singer, Kenny Rogers, makes good guidance for ethical school security consultants as well as school boards, superintendents and other central office administrators or school heads seeking school safety assessment consultation […]
School Safety: The Importance of the 4th R – Relationships
Numerous school shootings could have been prevented if students who knew about violent plans had shared that information with adults. Surveys have found that as much of 75% of the incidence of bullying at school are not brought to the attention of adults. Why kids won’t talk with adults about safety concerns Why don’t students […]
Can your principals and security staff access surveillance camera systems?
Can your principals access the surveillance camera systems they are supposed to be able to access from their desktop computers, laptops, or other monitoring consoles? This may seem like an odd question. After all, who would install camera systems with the capability for principals, security staff, and School Resource Officers (SROs) to access and retrieve […]
Independent, private school security assessments: Creating a culture of safety
Independent, parochial, and other private school heads are often concerned that assessments of their security and emergency preparedness might conflict with their unique school cultures. We believe, however, that part of their unique cultures can, and should, include a culture of safety. No schools are immune from a security incident or emergency situation. Higher tuition […]
School visitation programs beef up police presence, but not budgets
Police departments across the nation are beefing up police presence at schools, but not increasing their budgets or those of their local schools. Having a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) assigned to a school, especially on a regular basis at secondary schools, has long been a best practice. But following the Sandy Hook Elementary School […]
Training office staff critical to school entrance access control
Many schools are using various door entry systems to aid in visitor screening. Strong access control and visitor management is one important component of a comprehensive school safety strategy. One weakness we consistently see in our security assessment consultations nationwide is in the training of main office and other staff who use the security technology […]