Recent Events are a Wake-up Call for Local Communities
Where do these recent events leave school security and worried parents?
Recently, many schools and religious institutions have been reaching out to local law enforcement about their concerns regarding threats posed to their communities. Unfortunately, the responses they have been receiving have not been exactly comforting. Local schools and religious communities have been seeking our services after being told that their concerns about being the target of radical violence are invalid and that they are essentially responsible for their own security by local law enforcement. This has been a wake-up call to many schools, religious institutions, and businesses that their physical security is essentially in their own hands.
More specifically, one local school official shared with us that when they talked to police about their concerns regarding radical groups targeting their students and staff, they were told that “the threats were unsubstantiated, but that we should close because they don't have the ability to cover us if there was something that actually occurred”. This lead the official to “think that was another wake-up call for our community that we are on our own”. Needless to say, this information causes many communities great concern over the actual security of their loved ones when in school or at religious centers.
Traditionally, schools have always been told to use School Resource Officers (SROs) provided by police departments to meet their security needs. In the past, these officers have been effective at their intended purpose. However, police departments currently struggle to meet their staffing goals, and many cannot guarantee the presence of SROs at the schools where they are needed most. Denver PD, for example, is suffering from a 10.6% vacancy rate among LEOs, which isn’t expected to improve. This leaves many vulnerable communities without a guarantee that they will be able to have SROs on staff during operating hours and raises even more concerns about the ability of police to respond in times of widespread unrest.
Another critical issue many schools and other facilities face is the lack of effective access control and facility hardening. Sadly, this issue has been made painfully clear in light of recent active shootings at such institutions. When facilities choose not to have armed security on-site, their only defense is their ability to stop intruders from getting inside. The traditional mindset that locking doors is sufficient has led to the death of many innocent people within the last few months, as active shooters simply shoot their way through glass barriers and locks. Having an effective access control protocol, where entrances are tightly controlled and incoming individuals verified, is no longer just an option, but rather a mandate. Likewise, ensuring that facilities are hardened against attack, such as employing the use of ballistic glazing on glass surfaces and reinforced barricades for doors, needs to be seriously considered.
If schools and other institutions want to take their security into their own hands, the best option for them is to hire competent, effective, and armed security professionals. Such professionals can be on-site during all hours of operation without the possibility of being called away to respond to other emergencies. Having on-site security is also the only way to prevent a shooting or other crime before it happens, rather than responding to it when the damage has already been done. Security guards can also provide better access control by preventing intruders from entering and hardening the facility from attacks by providing armed and effective deterrence. When seconds matter, you don’t want to have to wait for the good guys to arrive, you want them there to begin with.
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