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School Safety in the Beholder’s Hands

School Safety in the Beholder’s Hands

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School safety has improved with modern technology. Camera systems, target hardening (strengthening the target), and other crime prevention systems will not secure schools if they are not used properly. One may think that technology is better, therefore the security will be better, but that is only if the beholder uses the security systems properly.

As it states in the Police Chief Magazine, “As good as modern security technology is, it cannot replace common-sense systems of visitor and vender control.” Police Chief Magazine suggests that schools should use both “technology and CPTED” for school security. CPTED is an advanced principle that stands for crime prevention through environmental design. CPTED has been a proven effective method of crime prevention, but is only as good as the beholder’s judgement.

Effective crime prevention tools can provide school safety only when the right people are in place. Tools like crime prevention are good but the person has to use them correctly. Proper training and having the correct people using the tools can make effective use of modern technology. Structures like CPTED are good, but criminals can still find a way in, and it is necessary for administrators and security officers to be aware of the limitations and use good judgment accordingly.

When the right resource officers and school administrators are in place and are trained correctly, tools like crime prevention camera systems can be proven as an effective tool for school safety.

School Lockers

The Cost of School Safety

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School safety can be very costly. For example, security night guards on the low end, could cost a school around $30,000-$40,000 each year.  This is assuming that at least one officer is paid full-time for each night annually at $10- $15/hour.

Most school districts have more than one school, which could mean for three schools the annual cost could jump to $90,000- $120,000. This is the cost for night patrols only.  A 24/7 patrol could cost a school $270,000-$360,000 for one officer per a school. If a school adds armed guards,  then that number is higher because the average police officer makes $58,000 annually. The cost of human resources can be expensive, however, school safety technologies are costly as well.

Technology may be less expensive over time, but it still costs the school a decent amount of money. According to the Connecticut General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Research (OLR), titled “School Security Technologies”,  a single low end camera cost around $500 to $1,000, and a high resolution camera can cost around $8,000. Most schools have more than one camera. OLR estimates for a small elementary school the cost for cameras is around $20,000 to $30,000, and for a large high school, it is around $200,000. This does not include other School Safety items such as: scan cards, alarms, electronic databases, videotaping, and remote access for doorways.  And most likely, does not include the cost to run the camera such as the electricity, the networking , or the monitoring.  A more modern technology system can cost as much as $400,000.

It is hard to track school annual budgets for security nationally because most schools do not have a separate assigned budget code. However, Education Week estimates the “market for security systems integration in educational institutions is predicted to expand to $4.9 billion in 2017, an 81.5 percent increase from $2.7 billion last year”.

The cost of school safety is expensive, but there is no comparison to the value of children’s lives.  Let us make the lives of children a priority, by placing school security into the 2017 budget.

Graffiti

What is the True Cost of Graffiti?

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Each City has their own statistics on what graffiti costs, which could include the expense of the chemicals to remove the graffiti, the paint to repaint the damaged surface from the graffiti, and valuable labor resources used to paint over the graffiti. The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, (POP), estimates the graffiti problem costs our nation $12 billion  annually.  But what about the hidden costs?  What does graffiti cost a child who has to go to school that is marked with graffiti or play at a park tagged with graffiti warnings?  According to POP, the offender is “conducting a psychological battle with authorities”.  Children who live in communities with graffiti know this battle all too well. How is a teacher going to have authority in the classroom when the students see there is no authority on the graffiti walls of their school?   How is a child going to respect the police officer who can’t keep the offenders from graffiti marking the streets? How can a child feel safe playing at the park when offenders have placed graffiti threats on the playground equipment?  Are cities doing everything they can to win this battle and protect the most innocent of victims?   The true cost of graffiti cannot be measured.

School safety

School Security and School Safety

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With Spring Break fast approaching, schools should be focusing on plans to protect their vacant campuses during the extended break. Every year, schools become targets for vandalism, trespassing, graffiti and theft, leaving behind extensive and EXPENSIVE damages for the district.

As we focus on “school security” and “school safety,” these two terms seem interchangeable, but there is difference between the two. Dan Flynn, author of the article “The ABCs of School Security” featured in Police Chief Magazine differentiates between the two.

School safety relies on the condition of the school, where school security relies on the means and products in which to deliver the safe environment. School safety is an “ideal” state of being  free of any hazards or danger. Building codes, preventative maintenance efforts, good community, and well trained staff are all examples of what can create a safer school environment.  School security is the condition of being protected or prevented from danger. Security cameras, campus police and school resource officers, and CPTED are examples of school security. When schools improve on their security efforts, they tend to improve their overall safety of the school.

Police Chief Magazine also suggests collaborating between law enforcement experts and the private security industry experts to develop school security programs. By training the teachers and providing the latest technology and security systems in schools will also provide a safer environment for the students and faculty.