Virginia Tech Shooter Emails Released: Early Warning, Timely Response Failure

Since the Columbine tragedy on April 20, 1999, I have been advising educators, counselors, threat assessment teams and law enforcement officials nationwide to put into practice the findings of Early Warning Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools. This critical document for violence prevention was released on August 22, 1998 by the United States Department of Education as a response to the tragic loss of life at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon.

Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools–August 1998
Offers research-based practices designed to assist school communities identify these warning signs early and develop prevention, intervention and crisis response plans. The guide includes sections on:

• Characteristics of a School that is Safe and Responsive to All Children
• Early Warning Signs
• Getting Help for Troubled Children
• Developing a Prevention and Response Plan
• Responding to Crisis
• Resources
• Methodology, Contributors, and Research Support

Click here to read more...

On Thursday, December 18, 2008 the student newspaper of Virginia Tech, The Collegiate Times, posted on their website a series of emails to and from Cho’s email address to university personnel as well as email communications among university personnel regarding Cho. These documents clearly demonstrate the disturbed nature of the shooter and the harsh reality of the failure of Virginia Tech to respond to such serious warning signs.

As more information continues to be released, it is beyond comprehension that nine years after Early Warning Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools was made available, eight years after the Columbine tragedy and five years after the United States Secret Service's report titled Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and Creating Safe School Climates, Virginia Tech failed to have a threat assessment team and failed to respond to such overt warning signs in a way that would have prevented the April 16, 2007 tragedy in Blacksburg, Virginia.

READ MORE

Collegiate Times E-mails sent to Cho	Click here to visit site
Collegiate Times Documents concerning Seung-Hui Cho	Click here to visit site
Collegiate Times Documents shed light on Cho's past	Click here to visit site
Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools – August 1998	Click here to visit site
Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide – April 2000	Click here to visit site
Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and Creating Safe School Climates	Click here to visit site
THE FINAL REPORT AND FINDINGS OF THE SAFE SCHOOL INITIATIVE: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF SCHOOL ATTACKS IN THE UNITED STATES – May 2002	Click here to visit site
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ON CRISIS PLANNING: A GUIDE FOR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES – May 2003	Click here to visit site
Report to the President on Issues Raised by the Virginia Tech Tragedy – June 2007	Click here to visit site
Vincent Bove Virginia Tech Blogs	Click here to visit site

Bergen County Police Academy Crime Prevention Certification

On December 1, 2008, law enforcement personnel from throughout Bergen and Essex County, New Jersey gathered for a Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute program at the Bergen County Jail Auditorium in Hackensack, New Jersey in pursuit of their crime prevention practitioner designation.

The training for this program consists of a 40 hour course and was coordinated by Lt. Patrick Fay of the Hackensack Police Department.

The five day course will include sessions on

• The History of Crime Prevention
• Issues of Corruption in Contemporary Society
• Leadership Principles
• Crisis Management
• School Violence Prevention
• Community Policing
• Youth Police Academies
• National Night Out
• Citizens and Senior Citizens Police Academies
• Citizens Appreciation Nights
• Physical Security
• Conducting Security Surveys
• Terrorism Awareness
• Gang Awareness
• Interviewing Techniques
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse Concerns
• Neighborhood Block Watches
• Virginia Tech Tragedy Lessons Learned

The following agencies were represented:

• Bergen County Sheriff's Office
• Carlstadt Police Department
• Englewood Police Department
• Fairlawn Police Department
• Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Safety Department
• Garfield Police Department
• Hackensack Police Department
• Little Ferry Police Department
• Maplewood Police Department
• Teaneck Police Department
• Tenafly Police Department

I was privileged to present Reawakening the Heart of America through Leadership, Vigilance and Collaboration based on my recent address at the National Conference on Ethics in America at the United States Military Academy. Attendees responded by sharing their personal experiences which added to the effectiveness of the training. After my presentation, copies of Listen To Their Cries were signed.

The group was encouraged to develop a rapport with the schools, corporations and citizenry in their jurisdictions to understand the pulse of their community. They are to be commended for advancing their knowledge of crime prevention and community policing principles.

READ MORE

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services	Click here to visit site
Virginia Tech Tragedy Blogs	Click here to visit site
Community: The Hope of America	Click here to visit site

300 Wallkill Educators: Striving to Reawaken the Heart of America

On Wednesday, November 26, 2008, I had the privilege of returning to the Wallkill Central School District in New York to address over 300 educators at the Superintendent's Day Teachers' workshop—an event made possible through the leadership of Superintendent of Schools William J. Hecht and Assistant Superintendents Kevin Castle and Jose S. Sanchez. A special thanks is also deserving of Principal David Bemsley for hosting this event at Wallkill Senior High School.

Educators represented each of the schools in the Wallkill Central School District:

• Leptondale Elementary School
• Ostrander Elementary School
• Plattekill Elementary School
• Wallkill Middle School
• Wallkill Senior High School

My first presentation for the assembly was titled SOCIAL NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY CONCERNS FOR EDUCATORS: ONLINE COMMUNITIES, CELL PHONES, INSTANT MESSAGING. This presentation reviewed the current technology, highlighted the opportunities and dangers of each, and explored the impact on contemporary American values.

It stressed that by working together, we can use this new technology for personal growth, to improve relationships, and to transform our schools and communities into beacons of hope for a better future.

PRESENTATION AGENDA

• Why Are We Here?
  • PRIMARY ROLE OF THE EDUCATOR
  • FOUNDATIONS OF SELF-ESTEEM
  • FAMILY STRESS FACTORS
  • COMMUNITY SUPPORT
• SOCIAL NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY
  • WHAT IS IT?
  • IS IT ALL OK?
• WHY WE MUST CARE
  • EXPOSURE TO / POSTING OF INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT
  • ONLINE PREDATORS
  • CYBER-BULLYING / CYBER-THREATS
  • CRIMINAL CONDUCT / Sexting
• What We Can Do
• Call To Action
• Conclusion

The second presentation was based on my recent address at the National Conference on Ethics in America at West Point and customized for the Wallkill educators. It was titled Reawakening the Heart of America through Leadership, Vigilance and Collaboration. It highlighted that our nation has suffered for too many years a crisis of leadership. We must dedicate ourselves to a renewal of character, courage and compassion and a transformation of America which must begin in our homes and schools.

The objective of this presentation was to inspire educators and school personnel to a renewed dedication to the privilege and responsibility of the teaching profession. The importance of character to the education of our youth as well as the need for a commitment to leadership, vigilance and collaboration in schools and communities was highlighted.

PRESENTATION AGENDA

• Why Are We Here?
  • EDUCATION: ESSENTIAL TO THE PRESERVATION OF LIBERTY
• Culture of Gratification
  • Crisis of Leadership
  • Culture of Violence
  • Shattered Communities
  • Filling the Void
• REAWAKENING THE HEART OF AMERICA
  • PROGRESS AND PRIORITIES
  • THE ALTRUISM FACTOR
  • INGREDIENTS FOR TRANSFORMATION
  • CHARACTER: THE HEART OF THE MATTER
• Call To Action
• Tribute to American Military
• Conclusion

The American Military Tribute which I present at the conclusion of each of my presentations had a particularly special importance today since it honored Lt. Mark Dooley from Wallkill, New York who lost his life serving our nation in Iraq. Mark’s mother Marion is a teacher in the Wallkill Central School District and was present along with many who had the privilege of knowing Mark.

After the presentation, I signed copies of Listen To Their Cries for attendees and had the privilege of personally listening to their experiences as dedicated educators.

READ MORE

Wallkill Central School District	Click here to visit site
Vincent Bove Wallkill Blogs	Click here to visit site
Sacred Honor: Police Officer, Soldier, Patriot	Click here to visit site
Internet Safety Blogs	Click here to visit site
Character Education Blogs	Click here to visit site