School and College Safety and Security Advisories

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IV.   There has been a rash of bomb threats, as well as other written threats, in high schools and colleges in recent months.

I have found that many such institutions don't have a bomb threat prevention and response process.  For example, I will ask a receptionist what she would do is she received a bomb threat and, more often than not, she doesn't know what to do.  Often call checklists aren't readily available or don't exist at all.  Likewise, there typically is no plan for how a threat should be investigated and assessed, how and when to make the evacuation decision, and a workable search procedure.  Note that most police departments will not search without the involvement of school staff who better know what belongs and what doesn't.  Also, there should be a crisis management process that outlines how and when the threat will be communicated to the students, staff, parents, community and news media.   Even though virtually all bomb threats are pranks, the poorly handled response to such a prank can evolve into a major crisis for the school.  

If terrorism can be described as attempts to spread fear among groups of people by threats or violence, one could describe bomb threats as a sort of terrorism.  Bomb threat perpetrators can no longer be seen as mere pranksters, but are felony criminals and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  Jail time may be an appropriate punishment, or at least a sentence that will make an impace, such as a year assisting in a burn ward.  Students should understand that making a threat is a crime and that there will be an aggressive investigation and prosecution.  In some cases, posting rewards for information leading to the apprehension, prosecution and conviction of persons making threats may be an appropriate and powerful deterrent.

III.   Today is two days after the Northern Illinois University (NIU) shooting.  I received several calls from the news media, and the common question was, "What more could be done?"

Pundits and experts come out of the woodwork following these tragedies, and many irresponsibly suggest measures that are impractical and ridiculous and paint a picture that schools and colleges are more dangerous than they are.  Following the recent Lane Bryant shooting in Tinley Park, IL, an "expert" on a cable news show stated that all stores in the U.S. from now on should have metal detectors and armed security officers.  The truth is that we live in an open society, and there is only so much that can be done without dramatically impinging on our free movement and even convenience.  Life is full of risks, and sometimes nobody can prevent the random act of violence.

At this early point, it appears that NIU responded appropriately and promptly.  Their police officers were on the scene in a few minutes and the administration had promptly communicated the emergency situation to students and staff on the campus.  Many classrooms and other areas were under a lockdown.  It appears so far that the assailant had no particular issues with NIU students or staff, but this will be the very rare incident if nobody on campus had seen any warning signs earlier indicated by this person.

Schools and colleges should take care not to overreact to such incidents, but should take the opportunity to review their security, safety and emergency planning to reasonably assure themselves and their stakeholders that they are prepared.  I saw a spike of concern following Virginia Tech and then, as is typical, security and safety concerns diminished again as time went by. 

Remember that there are three faces of violence prevention and response:

• Prevention: It is always best to prevent the threat or attack from happening in the first place.  Physical and procedural security and safety measures, along with counseling options and training of staff and students, are typically the leading preventive measures.
• Mitigation and De-escalation: Most violence escalates, and seldom, except for incidents such as the anonymous robbery, does the violent act just happen without earlier warning actions, words and other indicators.  It is ideal that schools, businesses and other organizations have a Threat Management Team or Group and Threat Assessment process by which potentially threatening or otherwise problematic situations can be safely addressed to reasonably prevent escalation.
• Crisis and Duress Response: Careful planning should be made as to how the institution will respond to actual attackers and other imminent threats.  Consideration should be given, for example, as to making and communicating the most appropriate evacuation, shelter in place, lockdown, safe place, etc. decision.  The essential logic behind that decision is to "buy time" and keep people reasonably safe until a law enforcement response can be made.  Related consideration should be given to internal and external communications, unified incident command, incident documentation, training of responders, drills and table-top exercises, grief counseling, dealing with the news media, recovery, etc.

Note that revenge can also take the form of sabotage, vandalism, bomb threats, theft and contamination.

II.   Today is the day after the Virginia Tech tragedy.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families, students and staff of Virginia Tech.

Early lessons that can be learned by all schools may include:

• Security and Safety will be a significant topic of discussion in most schools and colleges now, but every effort should be made to keep that concern and awareness at a high and consistent level over the long term.  For too many organizations and industries, security and safety only becomes a high priority after a serious incident.  For example, security consultants like me often don't get called in until after a major incident has occurred.
• There can be a "copy-cat" effect following an incident of such magnitude, and all schools and colleges should be on a higher alert level for the next several months
• Many have raised the concern of the mentally ill being improperly, and illegally, singled out for attention.  A school or business violence prevention and response program should primarily deal with the actions and words of students and employees, regardless their degree of mental illness.  A code of conduct should apply to all equally.
• There has been a rash of bomb threats and other threats across the country since the Virginia Tech attacks.  Making a bomb threat or starting a false rumor of impending violence is an easy and cowardly way to cause disruption and fear with little change of getting caught.  There should be adult felony prosecutions for persons who call bomb threats into a school or start false rumors of violence in schools.  After all, attempting to create widespread fear and disruption is the definition of terrorism.
• Every school and college should carefully consider how emergencies and crises can be promptly and effectively communicated to all key audiences, including all students, staff and emergency responders.  As opposed to high schools, for example, it is much more of a challenge to communicate within a large, spread out, commuter college such as Virginia Tech, but it can be accomplished.
• Students and staff must be trained on how to recognize the early warning signs of potential violent behavior and should be made to  understand and appreciate the importance of raising the issue to the administration.  Just stating that there is a duty to report in a policy or handbook won't motivate people to overcome their natural resistance to be a "squealer" or "snitch."  At Virginia Tech, for example, it appears that some students and at least one professor were aware that the future assailant was writing disturbing work that indicated to them a potential for violence.   Just telling him to, "go get counseling," may not be sufficient.
• In most school and workplace violence incidents, in addition to the fact that there were early warning signs displayed, there often were early threats or acts that should be cause for concern and threat management.  Although we don't now know if the earlier two bomb threats at Virginia Tech were related, it would not be surprising if they were.  There is a continuum of escalating violence that should be understood and addressed.   

I.   Recent publicized incidents of actual and potential school violence raise several key issues of school safety and emergency response planning. 

Awareness     A tragic incident at the Green Bay, WI High School was narrowly averted due to a concerned student speaking up.  In every major incident of student on student/staff school violence, it was later learned  that some students were aware that another student, or group of students, was discussing revenge and attacks, making threats, and/or otherwise clearly demonstrating the early warning signs or indicators of potential violence.  It is not enough to just state that students, as well as staff and parents, have a responsibility to report threatening or potentially violent behavior, for most children and teens fear being perceived as "squealers" or "snitches."  They must be made to understand the importance of speaking up, that it is the right thing to do, and that they are essential parts of the safety and security process.  They should also understand what the early warning signs and indicators are.

Respect   Schools and workplaces where an atmosphere of civility and respect has been established tend to be safer places.  Where people manage, teach and relate according to the Golden Rule and where people treat each other with respect, feelings of isolation, resentment and revenge are less likely to build and fester.  This is especially true during situations that are stressful and could intensify feelings of resentment, often called triggering or precipitating events.  Such events could include discipline, suspensions, expulsions, terminations, etc.  It is critical that the dignity of all involved be preserved, even during those difficult experiences.  After all, if some perceive they have lost their dignity they may perceive they have nothing left to lose.  It should be noted that respect and civility is, to a degree, a matter of perception and often needs to be taught.   For example, often the bully who treats others with little respect perceives that he or she is the victim of unfair or disrespectful treatment.

Access Control    The tragedies in Bailey, CO, Lancaster County, PA and Racine, WI demonstrated that the threat may not always come from the inside from students or staff, but may come in the form of an outside intruder.  I have often found schools unduly accessible because the main office is distant from or out of sight of the main entry, office staff aren't paying attention, other doors are left open or propped for ventilation, persons "tailgate" behind others at access points, students open doors to strangers, entries aren't supervised during the morning arrival of students, doors are old and don't always latch, etc.   While the process will differ depending upon the layout and logistics of the school, there should be an access control process by which no person can enter the facility, especially before and during class hours, without being somehow screened and controlled.  This should apply to all staff, visitors, parents, contractors and any other persons with legitimate reasons to be in the school.

Emergency and Crisis Planning     I have found that, while districts and schools usually have some level of emergency and crisis plans in place, often the focus is mostly upon accidental incidents such as fire, medical emergencies and natural disasters (e.g. tornado, snowstorm, hurricane, flood, etc.) with less that addresses purposeful or man-made incidents such as the intruder, bomb threats, violence prevention and response, sabotage, civil disturbance, labor disruption,  heightened DHS Alert Levels, etc.  For example, I will usually ask the school receptionist what she or he will do if they receive a bomb threat, and I often get a response that they don't know what their response should be.  Likewise, there should be a bomb threat assessment and response process that provides guidelines as to making the evacuation decision, searches, etc.   Intruder alert and response processes are often inconsistent and not fully understood by all.  I don't always find a process for threat mitigation, management and response to address threats and violence, or even a violence prevention process that would include relevant policies, procedures, training and communications.

Communications and Perception    During this school year I've noticed a disturbing trend of relatively minor incidents such as small fights and bomb threats (proven to be pranks) escalating, often fed by student use of cell phones, into major crises.  Teens, who can be dramatic and exaggerate, communicate their perceptions of the incident with each other and their parents who, in turn, may embellish the story a bit further.   Soon parents might be swarming to the school expecting to retrieve their children, the local news media are recklessly speculating on what might have happened, and even fire and police are responding to the non-existent crisis.  The long-term effect of such a situation can be diminished confidence by parents and the community in the school's and administration's ability to protect their children.

There is a heightened concern and an elevated awareness of school safety among the public, fed to a large degree by aggressive coverage by national and local news media.  Even though schools are still among the safest places children can be, perceptions that risks are high must be understood.  School and district administrations need to take these perceptions into account in their crisis planning and carefully measure and track perceptions and reactions after even minor incidents.  

Please call or write if you have any questions or would like to discuss further.

Thank you,     

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