Security Experts: Schools Should Conduct Risk Assessments, Consider Hiring SROs

School Resource Officers (SROs) a Must

Responses were unanimously in favor of School Resource Officers (SROs) on school campuses as an effective measure to increase school safety.  An SRO can be loosely defined as simply a police officer assigned to, or based out of, a school campus.  Most expressed enthusiasm regarding the implementation of SRO programs at all schools- with a few caveats.  Mike Dorn of Safe Havens International, the world’s leading international non-profit campus safety center, notes of an SRO program he helped implement in Tampa, Florida:

“This is hands down the most impressive school security officer implementation we have seen as backed by considerable survey data and their prevention record.  A school security officer in the district receives more than 220 hours of traini
ng
when they are hired and regular and advanced training after the first year.”

Edward Clarke, owner of a consulting firm specializing in school security, agrees with Dorn’s assertion, noting that an SRO can be “a key component and element in providing a safe and secure learning environment,” when “highly trained and skilled.” 

See more charts related to this report.

The need for rigorous, specialized training was stressed by nearly all of our expert responders.  Presumably, this is to avoid incidents similar to what occurred just last month in a Highland High School near Poughkeepsie, New York when an SRO’s gun accidentally fired in the school’s hallway.  No one was injured, and the responsible officer, Sean McCutcheon, resigned shortly after.  The incident was referred to as “a lapse in judgment,” by Police Chief Daniel Waage, but might it have been avoided if McCutcheon had received more rigorous training?

It was also noted by expert school security consultant Bo Mitchell that if SROs aren’t in uniform- and very easily and quickly identified by law enforcement officers in times of emergency- they put themselves and others at risk. Mitchell states:

“The first problem they have is IFF- Identifying Friend from Foe.  If they know the SRO, that’s good.  If the SRO with a pistol is unknown to local police, he has a high probability of getting shot or arrested.  Both are dangerous diversions from the Active Shooter.”

The general consensus is that a uniformed, trained, skilled and armed School Resource Officer is one way to possibly thwart attacks from occurring in the first place because offenders are generally less attracted to targets with a high police presence.   Put simply by expert David Fullerton,

“In many cases if a subject knows there is someone that might stop them, then they are hesitant in going to that location.”

Guns in Schools?

The actions of perpetrator Adam Lanza sparked renewed gun control debate throughout the country.  On April 2nd 2013, the NRA-backed National Shield Program presented its 225 page report outlining a training program that would enable school personnel to carry firearms.  The suggestion of putting guns into our nation’s schools has polarized the American public, gleaning reactions that run the gamut from frenzied support to horror at the thought.

What did our experts say?  Their responses were not nearly as varied as the public’s, with the large majority opposing the idea of arming teachers. Expert school security consultant Bo Mitchell referred to the authors of the National Shield Program’s report as “passionate amateurs with a political agenda about guns,” and added “it has little to do with solving this problem.”  Randy Atlas, holder of a PhD in criminology and author of numerous critically acclaimed books about security, made even less effort to sugar-coat his opinion of this report. He stated, in reference to the report’s authors, simply, “they are idiots.”

Fellow expert school security consultant Ed Clarke, who has 36 years of combined experience in the field, summed up the majority opinion when he stated:

“As a former police officer and District Commander I am opposed to arming teachers, support staff, and/or school administrators in order to provide an armed presence on campus.  It is the role of professionally trained law enforcement officers to respond to and address critical threats such as an active shooter and to deploy lethal and deadly force if needed to address that threat.  Law enforcement officers are highly trained in the use of firearms and they must maintain proficiency of use in a variety of training environments.  Law enforcement officers also are trained to have the mental toughness and focus to deploy lethal and deadly force when the situation arises.  Teachers and school administrators are not trained in this discipline and in a highly stressful situation requiring the use of deadly force they may not have the ability to adequately process the threat and to utilize deadly force to neutralize the threat.”

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