Page 4 - Campus Security & Life Safety, January/February 2020

By Ralph C. Jensen
Pieces of the Puzzle
roviding security on any level, but in this case, a K-12 campus is a puzzle that must be carefully put together. Campus administrators and law enforcement come together with different parts of the puzzle trying diligently to make sense of it all.
My staff and I have become part of the solution as we plan and prepare for sev- eral one-day Campus Security Summits at various locations in the United States. Last year, in 2019, we held four such events, each of which was a very rewarding success. The
events were held in Houston, Chicago, Atlanta and Long Beach.
At every event I came away with the feeling that the event just concluded was the best one
we’ve ever hosted. Of course, that is because the one we just finished was fresh on my mind. Let me give you a quick review of all that was accomplished.
Houston: Our keynote speaker was Santa Fe ISD Chief of Police Walter Braun. He recounted the story of a mass shooting on his campus. Chief Braun often said he was just a small town law enforcement officer, but his delivery was anything but that. Not a word was spoken during his keynote as the audience soaked up the horrid details of a gunman killing fellow students. At one point, the chief showed a video clip of his assistant chief being shot, then dragged to safety.
It was heart wrenching; thankfully the officer was able to have a tourniquet applied, which saved his life.
Chicago: Jerry Hughes, the safety director at Orland IL, District 135, talked about creating a critical safety plan for your campus. The final word was real simple. Safety and security staff have an obligation to ensure that every campus in the district is secure. Simple? No, but it is achiev- able. Staff must be on guard all the time looking for opportunities to ensure security, such as closed and locked doors. Vitally important is having training exercises. You may not want to do that, but it is necessary.
Atlanta: At the end of the summit, we held a panel discussion on Preparing for an Active Shooter. Panel members ranged from K-12 to university. The commentaries and opinions were stunning, and an education for all listening. For me, it was a stark reminder that all students are at risk, including my granddaughter who started kindergarten this year. Honestly, it sort of choked me up realizing the gravity of a rampant shooter in her school.
Long Beach: Our final speaker of the day was Sgt. Kevin Phillips of the Santa Ana Unified School District. He captivated the audience with his passion for student security. He outlined in detail what a security team must do to keep the campus secure, and to isolate a shooter if he or she enters the facility. He presented a couple of videos that we all know as Run, Hide, Fight, but each one pointed to a specific audience, such as elementary, middle and high schools.
We are gearing up for our 2020 version of Campus Security Summit, kicking off our Dallas event on Feb. 26 at the Four Points by Sheraton, DFW Airport North. Our lineup of speakers is impressive, starting with the keynote from Chief of Police Lauretta Hill, Dallas County Com- munity College District. Our programs will feature Brian Kelly, Wylie ISD on securing campus venues; Robby Ball, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, who will talk about bullying. In the afternoon, we will feature Dan Buholtz, Lovejoy ISD, Using Today’s Technology; then we have Sgt. Kevin Crawford, University of North Texas talking about access control.
Our panel at the end of the day, discussing preparing for an active shooter, belongs to Daniel Garcia, Fort Worth ISD, David Stevens, Arlington ISD and Chief Matt Welch, Tarleton State University.
We also plan to host events in Phoenix, Boston, Philadelphia and Charlotte. I hope you can join us somewhere along the line in 2020.
4 campuslifesecurity.com | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
Editor's Commentary
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Associate Content Editor E-news Editor
ART STAFF
Art Director
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Ralph C. Jensen Haley Samsel Brent Dirks
Dale Chinn Teresa Antonio
Jeff Karpovich, CPP, CHPA, CSSP, Chief/Director, Security & Transportation, High Point University, High Point, NC
Alison Kiss, Executive Director at Clery Center, Strafford, PA
Mark Kissel, K-12 Chief of Police (Retired); Principle Kissel Consulting LLC, Bethlehem, GA
Greg Klaiber, Director of Emergency Management, Northwestern University, Evanston IL
Joseph Souza, Director of Security and Technology at
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Chief Tom Weitzel, Riverside Police Department, Riverside IL Jennifer Ziffle, Director of Campus Safety,
Technical College System of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
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Kevin O’Grady
Ralph C. Jensen Irene Fincher Susan May Scott Newhouse Tammy Renne
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Michael J. Valenti