Columbus, Ohio, investigative reporter Paul Aker of 10 Investigates (WBNS) sat down with Ken Trump to get an inside look at school security camera equipment malfunctions — a problem we see around the nation during our school security assessments. Ken Trump Visit School Security Blog at: www.schoolsecurityblog.com Follow Ken on Twitter @safeschools Visit and “Like” Our Facebook School Safety News Channel at: www.facebook.com/schoolsafety
Category Archive: School Security Equipment and Technology
I-Teams find malfunctioning school security surveillance cameras; How to stay ahead
Your school district puts surveillance cameras in schools to protect students and staff. But what good are they if they are not working? Investigative news stories reveal malfunctioning, unrepaired school security cameras Recent investigative news stories uncovered disturbing school security equipment failures, in particular focusing on camera systems not being repaired in a timely manner: […]
When school security consultants have hidden product vendor affiliations
A public school district in one southeastern state spent more than $2.3 million in security equipment and upgrades at the recommendation of an outside security consulting firm. A school district in the Midwest received a school security consultants’ proposal that included a unique line about assessing door hardware as a part of the consultation process. […]
Omaha School Shooting: Metal Detector or Mental Detector?
Hours after the shooting of Millard South High School principal Curtis Case, and shooting death of assistant principal Vicki Kaspar, metal detectors in schools became the buzz of media and community talk. Parents and communities understandably are grasping for a solution to a problem — school shootings — which has not been “fixed” for a over a […]
What Parents Expect After a Shooting & Pipe Bombs at School
A 14-year-old South Carolina high school student shoots at a school resource officer (SRO). He has two pipe bombs in his backpack. A search of the student’s home finds a wide array of items including shotgun and handgun shells, multiple cigarette lighters, exploded bomb pieces, 14 carbon dioxide cartridges, and the list goes on. Authorities later find […]
Federal Court Rules on School Visitor Management System Suit
Does requiring parents and other visitors to provide personal identification to determine whether they are registered sex offenders violate the visitors’ constitutional rights? According to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, in affirming a decision of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the answer is, “No.” Plaintiffs-Appellants Larry and Yvonne Meadows […]
Can Your School Staff Communicate in a Crisis?
School campuses are often very large with multiple floors and even have multiple buildings on one campus in some districts. Two-way radios are commonplace in many of our nation’s schools as a tool for administrators, security personnel, and key staff to communicate on security and supervision issues. Not only are they helpful with day-to-day security issues, […]
School Security Versus the CSI Effect & TSA Effect
Surveillance cameras and metal detectors are used to varying extents in a number of our nation’s school districts. Cameras are in place in many urban, suburban, and rural districts. Metal detectors tend to be used regularly in a smaller number of districts, often larger districts with a chronic history of weapons incidents. Parents, the media, […]
Fear mongering article? America’s real school-safety problem
Good theory, perhaps, but clueless in understanding School Resource Officers (SROs), school security, and so-called “zero tolerance.” This is my take on America’s real school-safety problem, an article posted Sunday on salon.com. The article is mostly a Q&A with Aaron Kupchick, author of “Homeroom Security: School Discipline in an Age of Fear.” He spent two years researching “zero […]
Caught on Camera: Best Practices for CCTV Systems (FBI)
The first and best line of defense in school safety is a well-trained, highly-alert staff and student body. Any security technology must be viewed as a supplement to, but not a substitute for, a more comprehensive approach to school safety. Having security technology is one thing. Having effective security technology, and using it effectively, is […]