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Gun found in Toronto school

May 1, 2012 by

Toronto middle school principal Craig Crone assures parents that his school is safe after he found a loaded Colt .38 Special revolver in a student’s book bag during a search.  Crone stated that he found the gun while searching the student’s book bag after a fight at the school.  The 12-year-old student has been arrested and faces disciplinary action.  Anyone who follow Safe Havens should know how dangerous it is for an educator to search a student for weapons.

Gun incidents and school shootings have been problematic in Canada despite strict firearms laws.   When I presented at a national school safety conference in Toronto three years ago, attendees brought up a tragic school shooting in the area.  They stated that a high school student was shot and killed in a high school in the area because he was African-Canadian and school officials were criticized for their attempts to form a magnet school for black students to protect them from such acts of racial violence at school. 

The school principal feels that security cameras will make the school safer and they are in the process of adding cameras at this time.  “Those things are going to make a difference, I believe, and it’s going to reassure staff and the community and the parents, obviously.”

There is no research to show a correlation between security cameras and reductions in school weapons violence.  Most targeted acts of violence have occurred in schools with CCTV coverage.  While cameras can be a valuable addition to school security strategies, other measures such as reducing the number of fights on campus, visual weapons screening, random surprise metal detection, improvements in student supervision and educational programs have shown far more dramatic reductions in student weapons violations.

The school notified parents that there had been an incident at the school by way of a letter, but were not notified that a gun had been found.  The school serves 560 students in Grades 6, 7 and 8.  A meeting was set for Wednesday to provide parents with additional information.

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Michigan State Police Work to Enhance School Emergency Preparedness

April 30, 2012 by

I was privileged to have the opportunity to keynote the Michigan State Police Homeland Security Conference a few years ago.  The response to my session was favorable and they had to bring in an additional 200 seats to accommodate a surge in attendance for a breakout session on advanced school emergency preparedness concepts following the keynote.  This high level of interest in the topic speaks volumes about the dedication, care and concern for student safety by Michigan educators and public safety officials. 

The MSP decided to do three one day conferences in different cities around the state this week and I felt honored to be allowed to keynote these sessions as well.  Repeat conferences were held at the Macomb intermediate School District, the Michigan State Police Academy and at Western Michigan State University to make it easier for educators and public safety officials to attend in tight budget times.

The MSP serve not only as the lead state law enforcement agency but also function as the state’s emergency management agency as well.  The agency works diligently to provide emergency management training and support to Michigan schools and is currently using a FEMA grant to provide STEP training at no cost to Michigan students.  This program was developed through the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and FEMA.  When I keynoted the Rhode Island state school safety conference earlier this year, educators and public safety officials literally raved about the STEP program which is designed to teach students how to prepare for and survive crisis situations.  I have no doubt that the same outcomes will occur in Michigan as well.

I was particularly pleased this week to have had such good attendance and participation from educators who far outnumbered public safety officials in the sessions.  Often, conferences on school emergency preparedness held in the early Fall and late Spring are not convenient for educators to attend.  We had a diverse group of educators, law enforcement officers, fire service, emergency medical service and emergency management personnel in attendance as well as a number of school safety consultants who wanted to learn more about evidence-based emergency preparedness measures.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see how eager participants were to participate in interactive activities.  In fact, I gave out more than forty Safe Havens books and training DVDs to attendees. I typically give out books and DVDs to people who contribute with brilliant comments and probing questions during the day.  I thought I was well prepared with so many door prizes, but wish my luggage space would have accommodated another thirty or so books as I could have easily given them out due to the high level of insightful participation by attendees.

I was deeply touched by the personal conversations I had with an emergency manager who related how he was badly bullied.   I equally touched by a conversation with a police chief who served in the United States Navy in Vietnam and survived a gunshot wound from a shotgun as a police officer.  I spoke to several other Vietnam vets about their valuable service to our country, the friends they lost and how they now remain in service to their country as educators and public safety officials.  A Michigan State Police Sergeant told me how she had found the courage to stand up to a teacher who was verbally abusing a student who was gay when she was in high school years ago.  To me, this is a different kind of valor and it should not surprise us that she now puts her life on the line to protect others when she was willing to accept risk to protect another student as a teenager.  These fine and brave men and women epitomize everything that we respect about American heroes. 

Most of our staff at Safe Havens have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to other countries in our work.  The context we observe in Mexico, Bolivia, South Africa, Vietnam, the Congo, Rwanda, Honduras, Guatemala and other far-away places we have visited is hard to describe at times.  Wherever we go, we meet truly impressive people who care deeply about children and youth.

I have been blessed to meet many true American heroes like these outstanding men and women in Michigan who have dedicated their lives to making the world a safer place for their fellow citizens.  This week has reminded me once again that we are truly blessed to have so many heroes walking among us who will accept nothing less than the very best for our children.

Michigan State Police Patrol Squad

They don't know how cool they look!

 I was delighted to receive this awesome print depicting Michigan State Troopers following my presentation at the Michigan State Police Academy.  Sergeant Michelle Robinson presented it to me after I had made a comment about how cool the photo was in the framed display at the academy.  The officers are equipped with a bolt action rifle, a Thompson Submachine Gun, a Winchester model 1897 police riot shotgun and a tear gas gun.  As I told attendees, these guys probably had no idea just how cool they would look decades after they posed for this photograph.  The Michigan State Police recently celebrated their 95th anniversary and all MSP personnel  should be proud of the institution these men represent.

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Stakeholders for School Safety – Presenting for the Michigan State Police

April 30, 2012 by

I was privileged to have the opportunity to keynote the Michigan State Police Homeland Security Conference a few years ago. The response to my session was favorable and they had to bring in an additional 200 seats to accommodate a surge in attendance for a breakout session on advanced school emergency preparedness concepts following the keynote. This high level of interest in the topic speaks volumes about the dedication, care and concern for student safety by Michigan educators and public safety officials.

The MSP decided to do three one day conferences in different cities around the state this week and I felt honored to be allowed to keynote these sessions as well. Repeat conferences were held at the Macomb intermediate School District, the Michigan State Police Academy and at Western Michigan State University to make it easier for educators and public safety officials to attend in tight budget times.

The MSP serve not only as the lead state law enforcement agency but also function as the state’s emergency management agency as well. The agency works diligently to provide emergency management training and support to Michigan schools and is currently using a FEMA grant to provide STEP training at no cost to Michigan students.  This program was developed through the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and FEMA. When I keynoted the Rhode Island state school safety conference earlier this year, educators and public safety officials literally raved about the STEP program which is designed to teach students how to prepare for and survive crisis situations. I have no doubt that the same outcomes will occur in Michigan as well.

I was particularly pleased this week to such good attendance and participation from educators who far outnumbered public safety officials in the sessions. Often, conferences on school emergency preparedness held in the early Fall and late Spring are not convenient for educators to attend. We had a diverse group of educators, law enforcement officers, fire service, emergency medical service and emergency management personnel in attendance as well as a number of school safety consultants who wanted to learn more about evidence – based emergency preparedness measures.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see how eager participants were to participate in interactive activities. In fact, I gave out more than forty Safe Havens books and training DVDs to attendees. I typically give out books and DVDs to people who contribute with brilliant comments and probing questions during the day. I thought I was well prepared with so many door prizes, but wish my luggage space would have accommodated another thirty or so books as I could have easily given them out due to the high level of insightful participation by attendees.

I was deeply touched by the personal conversations I had with an emergency manager who related how he was badly bullied. I equally touched by a conversation with a police chief who served in the United States Navy in Vietnam and survived a gunshot wound from a shotgun as a police officer. I spoke to several other Vietnam vets about their valuable service to our country, the friends they lost and how they now remain in service to their country as educators and public safety officials. A Michigan State Police Sergeant told me how she had found the courage to stand up to a teacher who was verbally abusing a student who was gay when she was in high school years ago. To me, this is a different kind of valor and it should not surprise us that she now puts her life on the line to protect others when she was willing to accept risk to protect another student as a teenager. These fine and brave men and women epitomize everything that we respect about American heroes.

Most of our staff at Safe Havens have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to other countries in our work. The context we observe in Mexico, Bolivia, South Africa, Vietnam, the Congo, Rwanda, Honduras, Guatemala and other far – away places we have visited is hard to describe at times. Wherever we go, we meet truly impressive people who care deeply about children and youth.

I have been blessed to meet many true American heroes like these outstanding men and women in Michigan who have dedicated their lives to making the world a safer place for their fellow citizens. This week has reminded me once again that we are truly blessed to have so many heroes walking among us who will accept nothing less than the very best for our children.

Michigan State Police Patrol Squad

They don’t know how cool they look!

I was delighted to receive this awesome print depicting Michigan State Troopers following my presentation at the Michigan State Police Academy. Sergeant Michelle Robinson presented it to me after I had made a comment about how cool the photo was in the framed display at the academy. The officers are equipped with a bolt action rifle, a Thompson Submachine Gun, a Winchester model 1897 police riot shotgun and a tear gas gun. As I told attendees, these guys probably had no idea just how cool they would look decades after they posed for this photograph. The Michigan State Police recently celebrated their 95th anniversary and all MSP personnel should be proud of the institution these men represent.

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New edition of our newsletter available now

April 27, 2012 by

This will be a short blog post before the weekend.  In lieu of a longer post, you can download 23 pages of great content from our staff as well a new guest author.  Be sure to sign up for our mailing list and make sure that we are on your “approved sender list” so that we don’t get stuck in your spam-box.  And forward this, share it or re-tweet our announcement to anyone who you think should be getting this info.

Thanks everyone for your continued support – without it we couldn’t make publications like this one happen.

The Safety Net – Volume 2, Issue 3: Severe Weather & Schools

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How to select a School Safety Consultant or Expert Witness

April 26, 2012 by

There are currently hundreds of school safety consultants in the United States.  Many of them are highly qualified and honest experts who can provide assistance that is worth far more than the fees they charge.  Unfortunately, there are also some school security and safety consultants who lack proper credentials, experience, or other qualifications to perform the types of work they are often hired to do.

 Here are just a few situations involving issues with school safety consultants that I am personally familiar with:

  • I served as an expert witness on a school homicide case.  The school district settled the case after withdrawing one of their school safety expert witnesses.  The plaintiff’s attorney was preparing to challenge his qualifications to serve as an expert witness by way of a deposition when the defense counsel suddenly announced that the witness was being withdrawn from the case. This consultant has appeared as an “expert” on national news programs but has few tangible and verifiable credentials on his expert witness resume. 
  • In another case where I served as an expert witness, a school safety consulting firm settled a school safety lawsuit for $1.5 million after a school district settled 26 lawsuits relating to a single school safety incident.  The suit centered on the qualifications of the firm to perform school emergency preparedness consulting and training services.   The firm that was being sued provided no evidence of any formal work experience or training for any of their consultants in the field of emergency management.

 Fortunately, there are numerous reputable and qualified safety and security experts available.  A little investigation can often help to sort the good from the bad:

  • Ask for and check at least six references that have hired the expert or firm.
  • Make sure their background matches your needs.  For example, absent specific training or work experience, a former law enforcement officer (even from state and federal agencies) may have no relevant formal training in emergency management to qualify them to develop proper school crisis plans.  In the same vein, a psychologist might not make a good school security expert absent some specific experience in the field.
  • Beware of experts with vague credentials.  For example, one frequent sign of a non-qualified expert is one who doesn’t list specific former employers or universities by name but instead gives generalities and grandiose statements about past positions and affiliations.
  • Remember that cost frequently has little bearing on quality.  Some of the least qualified experts charge the highest rates while some of the most reputable people in the field have much more reasonable rates.
  • When viewing the credentials of a consultant, consider whether members of a jury would consider them to be qualified to perform the type of work you would retain them for.
  • Ask the consultant in writing if they have ever had a client request to terminate a contract and if so why.  While there are instances where contracts are terminated for reasons beyond the ability of consultants to control, a pattern of this type of outcome can indicate trouble.
  • Ask the consultant in writing if they or their firm have ever filed a civil action against a client, filed an open records request or any written appeals on bids.  While there are legitimate reasons for consultants to take these types of actions, a pattern of these behaviors could indicate that a difficult working relationship may be more likely. 

Learning during a civil action that the school safety consultant you have hired has been fired for serious misconduct or having a reporter point out that they have been arrested for a serious crime can be rather awkward.  Taking the time to conduct due diligence when evaluating school safety experts can save a money, time and perhaps even lives.

Related resource: “Evaluating an Expert Witness for School Safety Cases” by Michael S. Dorn and Sue Ann Hartig.  Download this research article and others in our resource section.

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Student supervision during field trips is important

April 25, 2012 by

Student supervision is one of the most fundamental and important aspects of school safety for K12 schools.  Many school safety problems result from situations where students are not being properly supervised which is why student supervision is frequently a key issue in school safety litigation.

Proper and well-documented staff development relating to student supervision, as well as thoughtfully written policies, should be one of the most important aspects of any school safety program.  The bad news is that these are overlooked all too often, and we can see this when we evaluate many of the preventable school safety incidents that occur each year.

Effective student supervision concepts are especially important in certain situations, such as during emergency evacuations, lockdowns and sheltering.  Failures in this area have resulted in multiple deaths in at least one incident and have caused significant problems in a number of other situations.  Another situation where student supervision is very important involves student field trips and special events like pep rallies, athletic events, graduation ceremonies and other situations that require adaptations of concepts designed to improve student supervision and accountability. 

Focusing on ways to improve student supervision is one of the most cost-effective and reliable ways to reduce the risk of serious injury and death to students and to staff.  Whether the threat involves bullying, tornadoes or acts of terrorism, improving approaches to student supervision reduces the risk that students and staff will experience harm.

Uxmal Ruins

During a visit to the Mayan Ruins at Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico last week, Michael Dorn observed this group of students on a field trip who were not being properly supervised.  This lax supervision could quickly result in an injury or death at a site where numerous hazards are present, and children can easily fall 20 to 300 feet if they are not extremely careful in navigating the ruins.   In a region where police officers typically patrol with a fully automatic weapon or tactical shotgun in their hands, risks from violence are also a factor as they would be in many parts of the United States, Canada, the U.K. Israel and other countries where school violence has been problematic.

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