KENTUCKY (12/27/12) – Contrary to suggestions made by the National Rifle Association (NRA), there are better alternatives to putting a law enforcement officer in every school. The goal is to make schools safer by making schools a harder target. Adding one police officer or sheriff deputy in each school will be very expensive and not the best use of valuable community assets and not the best deterrent.
 
A better plan: Each school would have 3 to 4 teachers trained in use of specific firearms. They would also be trained in confronting a shooter or terrorist. These three or four teachers or school personnel would not be revealed to students or other school personnel. These defenders would not carry a firearm. The weapons would be locked in two safes - one safe near the front of the school (school office) and one near the rear.
 
If either safe is opened, a school-wide alarm would sound and the school would go into immediate lockdown. Law enforcement would be summoned by land line and cellular 911 alerts. Inside the safe would be a bullet proof vest and arm bands color coded for the school. The weapons would also bear special markings and be color coded as well.
 
The keypad combination to the safe would be known only to the qualified school personnel and the chief law-enforcement officer of the community. Local law enforcement would be responsible for training the three or four teachers (or other school personnel). These people would need extensive training and annual psychological review. They would have to qualify with the weapons in the safes at least every six months. During this qualification, the qualified school personnel would drill (without children present) with law enforcement agencies that would possibly respond to an actual shooting. Alarms would be tested and communications verified.
 
Such a system would provide maximum security for our children without breaking the bank. Law enforcement needs to increase motor patrols and foot patrols of schools. We need to better identify those who are not mentally stable and keep firearms from their reach. We need to ratchet down the violence in movies, TV and video games as well.
 
Ron Sanders
SurfKY News

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