Police Chief Offers In-Depth Look at School Security

In this Letter to the Editor, North Canton Police Chief Stephan Wilder discusses violence prevention, the complexity of countering lethal threats and efforts taken to improve security within the city's school system.

Superintendent Michael Hartenstein also brought up the issue during a press conference Monday, saying the district needs to pass a 2.4-mill continuing permanent improvement levy to pay for roughly $500,000 in additional security improvements. 

John:

(Superintendent) Hartenstein, Fire Chief John Bacon, myself and the police department school resource officers have met at various times to discuss school safety and security issues. Each of our district’s schools has its own set of variables when addressing security concerns. These can include physical structures, transportation and bussing, staffing, student-aged attendance, visitor and volunteer monitoring. Remember the schools were not designed primarily with security in mind.

Foremost on people’s minds is the active assailant incident or intruder into one of our schools. Active assailant  (shooter) incidents are one of the most dynamic and difficult situations encountered by law enforcement officers today. Incidents such as Jonesboro, Ark,; Columbine, Colo.; and Virginia Tech University, Va.; Chardon, Oh.; develop very quickly, when and where we least expect them, and are generally over in a matter of minutes.

Working with Superintendent Hartenstein and the safety forces of North Canton, we recognize the importance of establishing communication, collaboration, and cooperation is necessary at all levels for students, parents, staff, and community in dealing with such high-risk situations. Through this understanding we have worked to:

• Better monitor and identify visitors and volunteers through personal identification.
• Reviews of lockdown procedures and update training through the A.L.I.C.E. program.
• Evaluations of building safety features.
• Full-time school resource officer operating primarily between Hoover HS and North Canton MS. Other school visitations as much as possible.
• Increase of police units patrolling school grounds.
• Limited entrances to school buildings, fire safety concerns for egress in educational occupancies.
• Video surveillance improvements.
• Review of all hazard emergency preparedness procedures.
• Review of student and parent alerts.
• School safety hotline is in place.
• One-one-counseling by staff and school resource officers to offer students a positive behavioral intervention and support to enhance academic and social behavior.

These are just a few things that are being addressed. There are many factors that play an important part in providing an environment where the school should be one of the safest places to be for a child.

The police department continues to evaluate the readiness of our officers, knowing that their rapid response as first responders is essential in saving lives.

Maintaining safety and security continues to be a work in progress; not only for our schools but for this community in which people live, work and visit.  

-Chief Wilder