School Security Must Be A Priority

The need to address the area of school security escalates. FBI statistics for the year 2007 demonstrate that school crimes continue to increase.

Validating the growing need for security in our schools, the School Safety and Law Enforcement Improvement Act is a comprehensive package presented to and reported out of the Judiciary Committee, with a unanimous vote in August 2007. It addresses the growing need for security measures from grades K through college.

This Act will assist schools in securing their environments by adding such safety measures as tip lines, surveillance equipment, interagency task forces to develop school safety guidelines, and grants for improved campus security.

Thankfully.

What can you do now?

School security is a large and broad topic. Our intention here is to assist you in making your school less crime-friendly and more secure. The 3 areas of our focus are risk assessment, emergency planning, and security systems.

Risk Assessment is a first step toward school security. Every wise planner begins with a sober assessment of strengths and weaknesses, then sets a plan in motion for addressing and shoring up weak areas. Many security issues can be ameliorated in this step.

You can find Risk Assessment information here.

Emergency Planning is the second step in securing your school campus. Revisit the school’s Emergency Plan. Building or updating the plan regularly is important.

An area that tends to get overlooked, we notice, is the actual rehearsal. It is crucial to practice emergency responses regularly with students and staff. This requires more than “fire drills”. What good is having a car in your garage if you do not know how to drive it?

You can find Emergency Plan information here.

Security Systems are a third step to improving campus security.

Strategically placed motion lights and security cameras are a wise investment with minimal cost. These are major deterrents to crime.

Your Risk Assessment information will assist you in locating potentially vulnerable areas which need to be fortified. Even if these lights and cameras do not prevent every act of crime, they will assist in identifying the perpetrators!

Alarm systems alert occupants and response teams that an abnormal situation exists, to which they can respond. This notification can prevent or reduce losses to the school and to persons, thereby increasing school security.

All areas of the school should be equipped fire detection systems. These systems should be operated by a third party and tested regularly.

Since arson is the leading cause of school fires, intrusion alarms are important in detecting intruders before a fire is set. Burglar/Intrusion systems also reduce risks to property. While we do offer Security Consulting Services, oftentimes the best option for installing a Security System is to utilize a local reputable company.

Supervision is a security system that has long been tried and true. Authorized adults should be present and monitoring hallways, playgrounds, and other common grounds. Simply the presence of an alert authority figure can deter trouble-makers.

A Criminal Record Background Check is ESSENTIAL to the security of every school campus!

P.S. Schools governed by state districts usually have a website for that school district. On those websites, they often have safety information available for anyone to access. It is a good idea to peruse this information in order to assist you in staying security-minded.

Identity theft is on the rise. The numbers of victims who are children are increasing! Find out how your school can help secure the future of our children by reading this:

School Security can reduce Identity Theft!

For a list of Security Consulting Costs, click here.

Our goal is to provide you with valuable information that you can utilize to improve school security and make it a safer place for you and for the next generation.

You are valuable to us. If you have an area of security you want us to address that has not been addressed here, please contact us using the form at the bottom.

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