Fatal Shooting Prompts Security Upgrades at Dallas ISD Athletic Events
Bags have been banned at all games, and metal detectors will now be used.
The Dallas Independent School District (ISD) is increasing security at its athletic event venues in response to the fatal January 11 shooting at a basketball game between South Oak Cliff High School and Justin F. Kimball High School.
The district will now use metal detectors to screen game attendees for weapons. During the January 11 incident, the walk-through metal detector at the Ellis Davis Field House was not used.
Additionally, the district has implemented a temporary ban on all bags, purses and backpacks. Previously, Dallas ISD allowed clear plastic bags into its athletic venues, reports the Dallas Morning News.
The security upgrades were prompted by the fatal shooting of Marc Strickland, 18, who was a former student attending the game. The shooting happened after a fight broke out.
The day after the incident, the 15-year-old suspect turned himself in and was arrested for aggravated assault. He now faces murder charges because Strickland has died, reports WFAA.
Two other juveniles involved in the shooting have been identified but not arrested.
Video surveillance images have been released of three other males who police say are persons of interest in the case.
Campus Safety has reported extensively on event security best practices. Some of those include:
- Have visible security to deter would-be attackers
- Keep security measures throughout the event
- Secure the perimeter and the outside
- Incorporate several layers of security
- Communicate with attendees in advance about what is and isn’t allowed at the game
- Locate the security command center offsite
- Adopt a unified approach.
To read more about athletic event security, click here.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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