SAFETY: Advice if you'll take it

As a retired law enforcement officer, former District Manager for Pinkerton Security and prior experience with local schools, I feel uniquely qualified to give advice to any School Board planning to improve student and teacher safety. I’m willing to provide free security surveys to any school or district that is interested in using my experience. Fortunately, most public schools in the north have enclosed classrooms due to adverse weather conditions. Some have outside entrances to their classrooms such as Woodland Middle School, but the doors are solid and kept locked. After reviewing the numerous school massacres around the world committed by students, non-students, terrorist groups, etc., using all types of weapons including guns (all types), cars, explosives, firebombs, gasoline in pressure sprayers, baseball bats, clubs, and knives, at school facilities with and without security armed or unarmed, I’ve concluded the only effective method is minimizing the perpetrators’ access to the office and classrooms.

Cameras are effective for controlling student behavior in hallways and should be in every classroom. Cameras won’t stop or prevent planned assaults, but they are helpful if an attack occurs. Excluding terrorist groups, most school assaults are committed by mentally ill individuals that will ignore the presence of the cameras, disable them, or wear concealment clothing. In most cases, the ideology for the attack is to do the most destruction in the shortest period of time. In most cases the suspects are armed with multiple weapons and sufficient quantities of ammunition.

The presence of a uniformed police officer is a deterrent but it won’t prevent a planned assault. Schools are large and officers perform various other duties besides security. Remember, the suspect intends to do the most damage as fast as possible! A suspect always has the advantage of surprise which can be minimized by utilizing plainclothed officers.

The only effective way to prevent school attacks is by eliminating access. Security fencing with breakaway barbed wire facing outward should be installed around the school except the parking areas. All fencing should be capable of stopping a common vehicular assault. All access gates should be monitored using a card lock system. A sally port with voice, camera, and finger print identification capability should be installed. When instruction begins, the sally port should be locked and controlled electronically by staff. No one should be able to enter the school complex without providing identification and visual screening for weapons. These measures might cost more initially, but in the long run, they will be cheaper and far more effective.

There are other measures that can be addressed, but these suggestions would stop the majority of assaults on staff and students.

JERRY WEAVER

Coeur d’Alene