Preventing School Violence: An Inside-Out Approach to Security & Safety
When campus security departments take an inside-out approach to safety they give themselves the tools to intervene earlier in the incident lifecycle before a threat escalates into a full-scale emergency.
We exist in a world where violent intruders are the new norm, and taking steps to ensure safety in our educational institutions has never been more crucial for administrators. While security measures like access control and video cameras have become standard, many schools and campuses continue to lack comprehensive, risk-based security plans. To adequately and comprehensively protect these institutions, administrators should consider adopting the “inside-out” approach to school and campus safety. This approach centers wholly on the belief that without a comprehensive security plan in place, educational institutions remain vulnerable to crimes committed by an unexpected class of potentially dangerous people: Trusted Insiders.
When campus security departments take this approach, they give themselves the tools to intervene earlier in the incident lifecycle before a threat escalates into a full-scale emergency.
Below are four ways designed to set strong prevention and intervention methods that are proactive rather than reactive to aid in protecting your campus from vulnerable crimes.
- Offer Community Education & Prevention Training – Provide ongoing training and mandatory workshops to educate employees and students on detecting, preventing, and/or intervening when a problem arises. Having this knowledge helps empower members of the school community to take responsibility for themselves, the people around them, and their environment.
- Provide an Anonymous Reporting App – Make anonymous reporting readily available to faculty, staff, and students via a user-friendly app—utilizing innovative technology is important, particularly when mobile apps are favored by Millennials and Gen-Z. When a report is made, campus security will be able to respond faster, potentially resolving the issue before it escalates.
- Implement Behavioral Intervention & Threat Assessment Teams – Designate highly trained teams to identify and assess potential threats of violence or cases of mental health. These teams should be able to determine risks and assess priority to enhance security protocols and continuously evaluate the security infrastructure.
- Manage Third Parties Exactly as You Would a New Hire – When hiring third-party contractors, conduct the same employment screening as you would for full-time employees. Running a complete background check and conducting screenings gives you the insight you need to determine if the contractor is a fit.
Don’t wait until the next incident occurs. To learn more about what it means to take an ‘inside-out’ approach, download “Preventing School Violence: Taking an Inside-Out Approach to Security & Safety” white paper.
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