Digital Imaging for Safe Schools: A Public Safety Response to Critical Incidents

The International Association of Chiefs of Police has a step-by-step instructional resource guide for capturing three dimensional images on CD for use during a critical incident on school property.

• Part I is for the Police Chief who must champion the goals and objectives of this project
• Part II is for the Project Manager who will develop a strategic design plan
• Part III lists the five basic steps of digital photography
• Part IV details the data CD creating process
• Part V summarizes the resource guide information

Aside from security awareness training, crisis management teams, evacuation plans and school resource officers, it is imperative to use the most state of the art technology to safeguard our schools.

http://www.theiacp.org/PublicationsGuides/ResearchCenter/Projects/InCarCameraTechnicalAssistance/tabid/305/Default.aspx?id=993&v=1

Community Policing is Leadership and Collaboration

A collaboration between local law enforcement and the community is the ingredient of successful community policing.  Essential to this collaboration is the perception and confidence of the community in the integrity and dedication of police who are in their locality.

 

Community members who have positive perceptions about their police and trust them are more likely to have a partnership with them that expresses itself through the dynamism of crime prevention and community policing initiatives.

 

The COPS Office of the Department of Justice has taken a prominent role in promoting police leadership, a characteristic that is only genuine and viable when integrity is its foundation.

 

The key to ensuring police integrity is the hiring of service oriented law enforcement individuals rather then political appointees or those with a false notion of a police career.

 

Read:

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=1307
 

 

Thriving Behind Bars: American Prison Gangs

Aside from the gang culture so prevalent within American communities, there are six major prison gangs recognized nationally for organized crime and violence.

 

Many correctional institutions monitor the activities of gang life very carefully.  The Florida Department of Corrections identified all of these major gangs as being present within their system and comprised a highly educational web site report:

1. Neta
2. Aryan Brotherhood
3. Black Guerrilla Family
4. Mexican Mafia
5. La Nuestra Familia
6. Texas Syndicate

Read More from the Florida Department of Corrections:

http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison.html
 

 

Character Education: Necessary for a Safe School Environment?

The report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2004 compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics is overwhelming. This report serves as a clarion call to anyone involved in or concerned with the education of our children, that is, every American.

The 19 indicators of School Crime and Safety are:

1. Violent Deaths At School And Away From School
2. Incidence Of Victimization At School And Away From School
3. Prevalence Of Victimization At School
4. Threats And Injuries With Weapons On School Property
5. Physical Fights On School Property And Anywhere
6. Bullying At School
7. Violent And Other Incidents At Public Schools And Those Reported To The Police
8. Serious Disciplinary Actions Taken By Public Schools
9. Nonfatal Teacher Victimization At School
10. Teachers Threatened With Injury Or Attacked By Students
11. Students Carrying Weapons On School Property And Anywhere
12. Students' Perceptions Of Personal Safety At School And Away From School
13. Students' Reports Of Avoiding Places In School
14. Students' Reports Of Being Called Hate-Related Words And Seeing Hate-Related Graffiti
15. Students' Reports Of Gangs At School
16. Discipline Problems Reported By Public Schools
17. Students' Use Of Alcohol On School Property And Anywhere
18. Students' Use Of Marijuana On School Property And Anywhere
19. Students' Reports Of Drug Availability On School Property

Please take a moment to read this eye-opening report at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/crime_safe04/index.asp

To counteract incidents of school violence, we must be compelled to action. The Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education can serve as the underlying criteria to develop or evaluate a character education program to combat the aforementioned 19 indicators. The 11 basic principles as defined by the Character Education Partnership (CEP) are:

Principle 1 Promotes core ethical values as the basis of good character.

Principle 2 Defines "character" comprehensively to include thinking, feeling, and behavior.

Principle 3 Uses a comprehensive, intentional, proactive, and effective approach to character development.

Principle 4 Creates a caring school community.

Principle 5 Provides students with opportunities for moral action.

Principle 6 Includes a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners, develops their character, and helps them to succeed.

Principle 7 Strives to foster students self motivation.

Principle 8 Engages the school staff as a learning and moral community that shares responsibility for character education and attempts to adhere to the same core values that guide the education of students.

Principle 9 Fosters shared moral leadership and long range support of the character education initiative.

Principle 10 Engages families and community members as partners in the character-building effort.

Principle 11 Evaluates the character of the school, the school staff's functioning as character educators, and the extent to which students manifest good character.

Working together, we can create an environment that is safe and appropriate for educating good citizens.

Click here to read CEP’s Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education.

Seven Year Old Seton Hall College Fire Case Resurfaces

Seven years ago a fire was set at a Seton Hall University dormitory that killed three freshman and injured fifty eight others.  On Monday, October 23, the jury selection began in the murder and arson trial of two former students.

 

Joseph T. LePore and Sean Ryan are the suspects accused of setting fire to a banner in a third-floor lounge after partying due to an earlier basketball game victory that evening.  The two former students have been free on bail.  The blaze started on January 19, 2000 in Boland Hall at the South Orange, New Jersey campus.

 

The fire has been a watershed wake up call for changes and improvements to college residence halls throughout the nation and the need to review, update and practice safety policies and procedures.

 

Read 

 http://admin.shu.edu/complianceprogram/firesafety.html

 

Asbury Park Schools Reopen After High School Student Murder

Schools in Asbury Park, New Jersey were scheduled for reopening on Monday, October 23 after the entire district was closed after an October 18 shooting.

 

Tylik Pugh, an 18 year old student from Asbury Park High School died after being taken off life support on Thursday, October 19.  He was shot in the head a day before near an Asbury Park middle school.

 

School officials closed the school for the rest of the week following the killing.  They feared for the safety of the 3,000 students in the city's schools, stating that the district was not equipped with metal detectors.

 

Read more...

Governor announces SAVE for School Safety: Strategic Actions for Violence Elimination

Collaboration between the community, law enforcement and school officials will be the focus of a new school initiative announced by Governor Jon S. Corzine on October 19, 2006.  SAVE stands for "Strategic Actions for Violence Elimination" and is the "life-and-death urgency for the call for strengthening our protections for our kids," Governor Corzine stated.

SAVE is based on two guiding principles: getting illegal guns off streets so they never make their way into classrooms and a stronger law enforcement involvement in school security.

Specifically, the SAVE initiative calls for:

• A greater commitment to gun safety
• Updated state standards and guidelines for school safety
• Regular school security drills and exercises
• Training for school resource and D.A.R.E. officers
• Development of a school security website
• Development of security programs for bus drivers
• Development of a governor's "Safe School" designation

Read the SAVE press release...

The Collateral Damage of Domestic Violence

The August 24, 2006 shooting of five individuals in Essex, Vermont serves as a glaring reminder that domestic violence negatively impacts communities as well as families. This incident resulted in the deaths of two elementary school teachers.

Linda Lambesis and Mary Alicia Shanks, two dedicated teachers, were killed by Christopher A. Williams, 27, the former boyfriend of Lambesis' daughter. After shooting Lambesis, Williams then went looking for her daughter at Essex Elementary School where Shanks, 56, was killed in her 2nd floor classroom. Shanks taught for over 30 years and her brother stated, "She passed away in the world she loved so much – her classroom."

Domestic Violence often spills over into the workplace and is inseparable from implementing sound school and workplace violence policies and procedures.

It is estimated that between 960,000 to three million women each year are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend. On average, three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in America every day.

Read the Domestic Violence Statistics:
http://www.endabuse.org/resources/facts/DomesticViolence.pdf

Spotlight On: Lt. Keith Richter, Teaneck, NJ Police Department

Congratulations to Lt. Keith Richter of the Teaneck, New Jersey Police Department!  Due to his dedication to his law enforcement profession and particularly to the Teaneck Schools in his jurisdiction, Lt. Richter was able to have a COPS 2006 Secure Our Schools Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services awarded to the Teaneck Police Department.

 

On September 11, 2006, Chief Paul Tiernan received a letter from the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services stating "On behalf of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, it is my pleasure to congratulate you...enclosed is your agency's award document...the award amount is $251,921.00."

 

The Teaneck Police department has always been a leader in community policing with programs that include very successful Citizens Police Academies, Youth Police Academies and Crime Stoppers.  The contribution of Lt. Keith Richter to this dynamic community policing track record deserves recognition as does the entire Teaneck Police Department for its dedication to the community of Teaneck. 

Jersey City Police Department's Waterfront Security Meeting: Domestic Violence

On Tuesday, October 17, 2006, the Jersey City Police Department held its monthly Waterfront Security Meeting at Harborside Financial Center's Atrium. The meetings are coordinated with various business leaders through the dedication of Captain Brian McDonough of the Jersey City Police Department.

The meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month from 10am-12noon at Jersey City sites and cover various law enforcement and private security concerns.

Since October is "Domestic Violence Awareness Month", Captain McDonough had Sergeant Ray Spanarkel of the JCPD's domestic violence unit addressed law enforcement, private security and human resource representatives from the Jersey City financial area community.

Sgt. Spanarkel defined domestic violence as "a pattern of coercive behavior that is used by one person to gain power and control over another, which may include physical or sexual violence, emotional and psychological intimidation, verbal abuse, stalking and economic control."

Included in the presentation were:

• characteristics of the batterer
• characteristics of the victim
• cycle of violence
• unique risks for women victims
• police response; investigations, checking for domestic violence criteria, mandatory arrests, evidence gathering and reporting
• domestic violence spill overs into the workplace; corporate education, prevention and policies
• temporary and final restraining orders
• workplace violence

Unfortunately, the statistics of domestic violence in the State of New Jersey and nationwide are staggering. The community policing initiative executed today through the leadership of Captain Brian McDonough heightens awareness, encourages prevention and is a admirable step in the right direction. Captain McDonough can be reached at jcpdeastdistrict@yahoo.com, telephone number 201-547-5470.

Read: http://www.endabuse.org/resources/facts/

Cyber Crime Lab Opens at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey

Fighting crime in the cyberspace age will be assisted by the October 16 opening of a new cyber crime lab at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. The state-of-the-art facility was made possible by $600,000 in federal support awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Over 400 law enforcement officers including personnel from the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, county and local police agencies will use the lab for graduate certificate courses. Also, more then 300 officer's will take cyber crime continuing education courses.

Courses planned for the crime lab include:

• Investigations of Computer Systems/Network
• Computer Systems Seizure and Examination
• Current Issues on Terrorism and Security
• Global Preparedness for Catastrophic Emergencies
• Computer Forensic Training on Handheld Computing Devices
• Introduction to Cell Phone Seizure and Examination

The overall objective of cyber crime lab is to respond to the rapid increase of cyber crime with education of law enforcement and private security with concepts, skills and practical training needed in networks, computer hardware and basic data recovery techniques.

Read: http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=2844

Three High School Sisters and Their Parents Shot to Death: Brother Arrested

Three teenage high school students and their parents were murdered on October 14, 2006. The girls attended Harmony High School in Farmington, Iowa where officials said they will have counselors available on Monday, October 16 to speak with grieving students.

"You saw this in the Amish Country when those girls were shot, and now it's in our backyard," said Mike Linnenbrink, a youth minister from St. Boniface Catholic Church in Farmington where the family worshiped. Michael Bentler, age 53 and his wife Sandra Bentler, age 47 were murdered along with their daughters Sheena Bentler, age 17, Shelby Bentler, age 15 and Shayne Bentler, age 14.

Shawn Michael Bentler, the 22 year old son was arrested and charged with five counts of first degree murder.

Read: http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/Releases/2006/10-15-06_VanBurenHom.htm

Amish School House Razed as Families Seek Solace

A quiet pasture will replace the sight of the Amish school house where a gunman killed five girls and injured five others.

 

Although the Amish construct buildings without the aid of modern technology, closure was expedited and curiosity seeking prevented, as heavy modern demolition technology razed the schoolhouse in less then thirty minutes on October 12, 2006.

 

The quaint school house had been boarded up since the October 2 shootings, posted with No Trespassing signs and wrapped with yellow crime scene tape.  Where the beauty of children's laughter once filled the air, all that remains now in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania is neatly raked upturned earth.
 

 

Youth Character Development: Critical to the Welfare of the Nation

Cicero stated, "Within the character of the citizen lies the welfare of the nation."

 

During a profound moment at the October 10, 2006 White House Conference on School Safety, Craig Scott, a survivor of Columbine whose sister Rachel was the first student killed, implored the nation.  Craig stated, "I do believe in education that touches the heart and helps form the character.  And I believe if that can be implemented in education on a daily basis, we'll see a change."

 

Character development is critical to education and its importance is expressed through the track record of American education from Horace Mann in the 1840's to the United States Congress's "Partnerships in Character Education in 1994" to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.  Also, one of the six goals of the Department of Education (Strategic Plan 2002-2007) is to "promote strong character and citizenship among our nation's youth."

 

Read:

http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/character/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln
 

 

Columbine Survivor Remembers Slain Sister: Advises President and Educators

Before the President of the United States and three hundred participants, Craig Scott, brother of Rachel Scott, the first student killed at Columbine, advised America and honored the legacy of his sister at the October 10, 2006 White House School Safety Conference.  The conference was convened by the Department of Education and the Department of Justice at the request of the White House due to the numerous school violence tragedies during the last few weeks.

 

Craig stated, "I had 10 classmates that were killed around me.  I lost two friends underneath a table, and then later that day learned that my sister Rachel Joy Scott, was the first one that was killed."

 

"Once upon a time, our goal in our country was first and foremost, character.  Academic achievement is now the main goal...Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were very smart...They're problem wasn't their education at my school, Columbine.  Their problem was their character."

 

"My sister put down on paper before she died, "I have this theory if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, it will start a chain reaction of the same."

 

"I challenge every teacher, principal, superintendent and educator here today to look at teaching that doesn't just teach the head, but teaches the heart."

 

Read Rachel Scott's Challenge:

Rachel's Challenge

Thirteen year old student fires AK-47 inside school

After threatening students, the principal and assistant superintendent, a 13 year old boy wearing a mask, long green trench coat and camouflage tactical pants, fired an AK-47 replica assault rifle into the ceiling at his Joplin, Missouri school.

The seventh grader had a well thought out plan according to police and was taken into custody. He pointed the gun at two students, Principal Steve Gilbreth and Assistant Superintendent Steve Doerr telling them, "not to make him do this."

Police found instructions on assembling an improvised explosive device (IED) in the child's backpack and detailed drawings of the school. Police Officer Curt Farmer was quoted by Associated Press as stating, "This was very well thought out. He had been planning this for a long time."

This Missouri incident took place as church bells tolled in Pennsylvania in remembrance of the five young Amish girls killed a week earlier.

Read: http://www.joplinpolice.org/pressRelease.cfm?relID=46

American Youth Alcohol Abuse Alert

Continuous headlines of alcohol related tragedies involving American youth include drinking-driving crashes and fatal alcohol poisoning.

The heart wrenching consequences of abusive youth drinking need a serious and immediate comprehensive community response that must begin in and through the schools. Awareness, prevention and intervention programs, particularly on the high school level, must be supported with leadership, vigilance and collaboration so the harmful effects of alcohol on American youth, their families and society can be eradicated.

Read: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa68/aa68.htm

Violence Concerns from the School House to the White House

Sparked by tragic headlines of school violence, preparations are being made for an October 10, 2006 White House conference to discuss American school security.

 

The meeting will discuss how the Federal, State and local government can collaborate with schools, communities and families to ensure a climate of safety so essential for learning.

 

School security must be comprehensive and include vulnerability assessments, target hardening, community policing, emergency planning, awareness enhancement, diversity appreciation, gang resistance, character formation, bullying prevention, and faculty training.

Spotlight On: Detective Kenneth J. Martin, Hackensack Police SRO

Detective Kenneth J. Martin has been a Hackensack, New Jersey Police Officer for 21 years and assigned to the agency's juvenile unit as a school resource officer for 19 years.  His primary responsibility is to Hackensack High School as its School Resource Officer (SRO) and he also serves the educational community as the truant officer for the Hackensack middle school and five elementary schools.

 

Due to his approachable personality, Detective Martin effectively bridges the gap between the youth of the community and the police department. As an SRO, he is able to build trust with the youth of Hackensack and assist them with achieving their goals while keeping them safe at school and in the community.

 

Recently, Detective Martin worked collaboratively with his department, the board of education and the local Congressman and successfully secured a grant that enhanced physical security at the high school with the installation of 32 new CCTV's. 

 

The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) recognized the Hackensack Police Department and the Hackensack Board of Education as a model agency since it was the first in Bergen County to have the SRO program and has served as a training ground for SROs from eleven other New Jersey police departments such as Teaneck, Englewood, and Secaucus.

 

Detective Kenneth Martin is a National SRO Practitioner which is the standard by which NASRO, police agencies and school districts recognize law enforcement personnel who have excelled in the area of school based policing.  He has also been recognized by NASRO as a School Resource Officer of the Year and is an extraordinary model of the benefits of the SRO program to community policing.

 

Read:  http://www.nasro.org/practitioners.asp

School Resource Officers: Critical to School Violence Prevention

Recent horrific school violence attacks in Wisconsin, Colorado and Pennsylvania demand complete commitment to the community policing school resource officer program.

 

A school resource officer is a certified law enforcement officer assigned to provide coverage to a school or a group of schools.  The SRO must be significantly immersed in the school community and perform the roles of law enforcement, counselor and educator.  As an SRO, this individual provides leadership, vigilance and collaboration in the school community with administrators, faculty, staff, parents and students.  The presence of a SRO in a school is beneficial to the educational community because of a deterrent presence but also because an SRO is the vital link between the law enforcement agency and the youth of the community.  A SRO also allows for law enforcement to be favorably perceived by youth because the role is one that enables communication, respect and approachability.

 

Community policing and in particular, its school resource officer program is critical to preventing school violence and it demands complete dedication, appreciation and enhancement.

 

Read: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=315

Amish School Children Killed Execution Style

A one room Amish schoolhouse holding the children of serene Lancaster County, Pennsylvania was taken siege on October 2 by a milk truck driver with an unresolved childhood rage.

 

Charles Carl Roberts, who was not Amish, barricaded the doors of the school and horrifically opened fire execution style on a dozen young girls after setting the boys free.

 

The children had their feet bound with wire and plastic ties and most were shot at point blank range.  Five children were killed (including a very young teachers aide) and at least five others were critically wounded.

 

In a culture of violence, this distressing tragedy stands as a watershed American school violence warning that everywhere in America, the most innocent can immediately be under siege.

Lurid Congressional Email Scandal Challenges Leadership

Representative Mark Foley immediately resigned on September 29 amid scrutiny of his email and instant message contacts with underage congressional pages. Ironically, the six term Florida congressman was co-chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus and involved with legislative crackdowns with on line predators and Internet child pornography.

The three top republicans in the house said in a joint statement that Foleys "improper communications" were "unacceptable and abhorrent" and his resignation was not enough.

The lurid nature of the case has even more negative repercussions based on concerns that top house Republicans knew for months about the email communications of Foley and the youth but kept the matter secret.

The scandal has ratcheted up with the FBI conducting an "assessment to determine if there has been any violation of federal law."

Former Representative Foley's attorney stated that Foley has checked into a rehabilitation center for alcoholism treatment according to the AP.

This incident stresses the criticality of leadership development, ethics training and internal controls to prevent abuses of individuals who may exploit their positions of authority.