Police in Schools

School shootings are becoming more and more common every year. This happens so much that our schools have drills for the students to do in case a shooting takes place, but by then it’s too late for anyone. The reality is that the students are hoping that the shooter doesn’t come to their room. But if the schools had trained officers with guns to defend the students during times like this I believe that we would cut school shooting down close to zero. Too many kids and teens have died due to these school shooting events, and the worst part is the shooter doesn’t even need a reason to do what they do. So imagine you are in a school with no protection and a shooting occurs. And you can hear the shooter getting closer and closer, outside your classroom students are getting shot. Kids and teachers hope they are not next on the shooter’s list. This is the brutal reality of what a student’s final moments can look like when a school shooting occurs. But don’t just take it from me here are some survivors of school shootings describing that moment.(Miah Cerrillo: 11-year-old school shooting survivor called 911, smeared blood on herself, played dead | CNN)|Florida school shooting: A survivor’s story – BBC News|(10 Survivors Of School Gun Violence Share How It Still Reverberates Through Their Lives | HuffPost Life). After I read these news reports I am convinced that schools need to have trained armed police guards in their schools. Even when police do arrive on the scene of a school shooting they don’t just rush into the building with guns and hope to find the shooter, and it makes sense because they have to come up with a strategy to stop the shooter. But while the police are planning how to get inside safely, unarmed teachers and students are trapped in the school waiting for someone to save them and praying that the shooter doesn’t get to them first. 

As a former high schooler, we have drills if someone comes into the school, but the drill is heavily flawed. If you train the students on where to go if a shooting takes place you are possibly teaching the shooter how to find everyone. Plus most of the time they will just close the door and try to pretend that they are not in the classroom at that time, which is also a flawed concept. Because the attacker already knows that students are in school during that time of day, not to mention if it’s a student themselves who is the attacker. For example, the Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, who was a former student at Parkland knew the landscape of the school and where students and teachers would likely be. Schools need to get rid of this drill because it doesn’t help anyone and all it does is leave people waiting to get slaughtered. So how will police make schools a safe place for students and teachers? 

Trained police officers will always be available and in action, if something occurs. This will already give a shooter something to think about if he plans on shooting a school. And we can give them dogs trained to detect illegal things that students may carry in their bags. Metal detectors will also need to be in place to detect guns, knives, and any other harmful products. Remember this new system is not a guaranteed foolproof system, there will always be new problems but hopefully, this will stop school shootings. This will also help the new generation not fear the police as much and the same thing for the police. Police officers in schools will also play an important role in maintaining order and discipline on the school campus. In instances where students violate school policies, rules, or regulations, police officers are tasked to enforce the law. That is, when students engage in criminal activities, police officers are called upon to handle the situation. Therefore, when students know that police officers are present, they are aware that there are consequences for their actions, and they are more likely to comply with school policies and regulations. Because the world is a dangerous place and even though parents want to keep their children from danger, it may come pounding on their doorstep. And as Americans, we can’t keep schools unprotected, at any moment a crazy gunman can walk in and take out everybody, not just kids. It is our job as a community and as a country to protect our youth, and their bright ideas for the future. 

References

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(Miah Cerrillo: 11-year-old school shooting survivor called 911, smeared blood on herself, played dead | CNN)|Florida school shooting: A survivor’s story – BBC News|(10 Survivors Of School Gun Violence Share How It Still Reverberates Through Their Lives | HuffPost Life).