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Statistically, school shootings are not a regular occurrence, but they are alarming tragedies that we all need to do our best to prevent.
Two decades ago, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California launched its School Mobile Assessment and Resource Team (SMART), a multi-discipline, threat assessment team that responds to incidents related to violence, threats of violence, possession and/or use of weapons, unstable behaviors, suicidal actions, or tendencies that pose a threat to others at K-12 schools. The team includes a mental health clinician to take part in the assessments and connect those students who need it with the appropriate resources.
In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley speaks with Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes about the work of the team, which handled nearly 300 threat assessments and calls for service during the 2021-2022 school year. In addition to addressing threats, SMART also works to ensure school staff is trained to recognize the signs of a threat. To date, approximately 480 administrators and school site personnel have received this training. This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is sponsored by L3Harris. Providing coverage that goes beyond the call of duty, L3 Harris provides ultra-reliable portables and mobiles that are designed by and for those on the front lines. Learn more at Communications for Police and Law Enforcement | L3Harris™ Fast. Forward.
School safety resources from Police1
- How Columbine gave rise to threat assessment teams
- Roundtable: 20 years after Columbine, are our schools safer?
- State your case: Do armed teachers improve school safety?
- Case study: How Idaho fire, police agencies worked together to prioritize school safety
- How smart buildings can assist public safety response
- Smart schools: What’s new in school safety apps
- 5 ways a school resource officer can improve campus security
- Mass casualty threat assessment and prevention: 12 steps to moving beyond guessing
- How one law enforcement agency is collaborating to prevent school violence
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