School Security Fundamentals
HOW CAN FACILITIES BE MADE MORE SECURE?
Recent tragedies involving guns and bombs have prompted many school districts to consider adding high-tech hardware to their traditional lock-and-alarm systems.
Metal detectors are an expensive and controversial option. Their potential usefulness for a given school depends on many factors, including the severity of weapons problems, the availability of funds for staff and training, the physical design of buildings, and possible negative effects on school atmosphere.
Hand-held detectors are less expensive and intrusive than walk-through models, and their portability permits random checks. They are particularly effective in keeping weapons out of events that take place in a confined space, notes National Alliance for Safe Schools Director Peter Blauvelt. Other high-tech security measures include photo ID systems, which may be tied into school computer databases, and closed-circuit television cameras (HADG 1999).
Security cameras and other technologies are not a substitute for human beings (HADG 1999). As Hill Walker (1999) of the University of Oregon’s Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior points out, Columbine High School’s video cameras were not being monitored when the mass shootings broke out at that school. “If they had been monitored,” he says, “perhaps the bombs brought into the school prior to the shootings would have been detected and plot uncovered. Further, if the emergency team personnel had known where the shooters were in the building, they may have been able to save lives.”
Increasing supervision by adding security personnel is another option. Stephens cites the pros and cons of employing local police, contracting with a security-guard service, or hiring security professionals. “The ratio of adults to the number of students who must be supervised is of critical importance,” says Walker, who notes that Columbine High School had only a single school-security officer. Walker recommends that school resource officers report jointly to the school’s principal and to the police department and have close connections to the community and neighborhood.
Security can also be improved by cost-free measures such as changes in procedures, scheduling, and allocating space. For example, separating cafeteria entrances and exits reduces lunch-time congestion and the potential for student conflicts. It is important to control building access by limiting the number of entrances and exits and establishing visitor-screening policies. Parent volunteers can be recruited to supervise problem areas (Stephens). Closing the school campus eliminates a major risk factor (Walker).
HOW CAN FACILITIES BE MADE MORE SECURE?
Recent tragedies involving guns and bombs have prompted many school districts to consider adding high-tech hardware to their traditional lock-and-alarm systems.
Metal detectors are an expensive and controversial option. Their potential usefulness for a given school depends on many factors, including the severity of weapons problems, the availability of funds for staff and training, the physical design of buildings, and possible negative effects on school atmosphere.
Hand-held detectors are less expensive and intrusive than walk-through models, and their portability permits random checks. They are particularly effective in keeping weapons out of events that take place in a confined space, notes National Alliance for Safe Schools Director Peter Blauvelt. Other high-tech security measures include photo ID systems, which may be tied into school computer databases, and closed-circuit television cameras (HADG 1999).
Security cameras and other technologies are not a substitute for human beings (HADG 1999). As Hill Walker (1999) of the University of Oregon’s Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior points out, Columbine High School’s video cameras were not being monitored when the mass shootings broke out at that school. “If they had been monitored,” he says, “perhaps the bombs brought into the school prior to the shootings would have been detected and plot uncovered. Further, if the emergency team personnel had known where the shooters were in the building, they may have been able to save lives.”
Increasing supervision by adding security personnel is another option. Stephens cites the pros and cons of employing local police, contracting with a security-guard service, or hiring security professionals. “The ratio of adults to the number of students who must be supervised is of critical importance,” says Walker, who notes that Columbine High School had only a single school-security officer. Walker recommends that school resource officers report jointly to the school’s principal and to the police department and have close connections to the community and neighborhood.
Security can also be improved by cost-free measures such as changes in procedures, scheduling, and allocating space. For example, separating cafeteria entrances and exits reduces lunch-time congestion and the potential for student conflicts. It is important to control building access by limiting the number of entrances and exits and establishing visitor-screening policies. Parent volunteers can be recruited to supervise problem areas (Stephens). Closing the school campus eliminates a major risk factor (Walker).
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