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With four weeks left until the start of the school year, WBAP called on a seasoned law enforcement panel to discuss ways in which Fort Worth can improve school security following the Uvalde (and countless other) school shooting.
The special live broadcast, entitled “School Security and Your Child’s Safety,” had a panel that included retired NYPD Lieutenant and FOX News contributor, Joe Cardinale; Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn; Texas State Senator Royce West; retired Texas Ranger Brad Oliver; and President of the Dallas Police Association, Sgt. Mike Mata.
The panel gave their professional opinion on teachers handling guns in the classroom, grade checks on school security, help from retired law enforcement, and patrolling officers on DFW school campuses.
“Right after 9/11, the NYPD called on every retired [officer] to come to ground zero,” Joe Cardinale says.“You have resources in your communities that could be retired law enforcement, military, and veterans. The problem is that police officers have become reactive and not proactive. The time is now — when school is starting — for parents to be involved and [express] what they would like to see in the schools.”
The panelists discussed long-term and short-term solutions for school security. Potential solutions included training programs, additional security measures, and holding people accountable to ensure such long-term solutions remain active and beneficial.
In an effort to improve school security and curtail mass shootings, the Fort Worth Police Department recently announced they will offer free active shooting training to all Fort Worth ISD teachers and staff. The free, four-hour training will contain classroom and scenario-based training.
The panel also discussed the mistakes law enforcement made during the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
“We all do the same training, and all departments have the same training: you go [in],” Mata says. “I don't care if there are one or two or three shooters. You have to go in. You have to be confident with everyone who responds, or you have the same thing that happened in Uvalde. There needs to be movement in legislation. We know what that standard is.”
They also discussed the problems of rural schools, where response times might not be as immediate as schools closer to the cities.
“It's real important that we understand there are over 2,000 rural school districts in the state, and there’s no [one-size-fits-all] solution,” West says. “We have a school out in the middle of nowhere where a situation might be different. There are different types of solutions. Parents, hold your districts accountable for the money they receive for schools dealing with exterior doors and metal detectors and ensuring the school and facilities are safe. We need to do the same thing to let parents know that the school’s campus has a security plan that meets the state’s security plan.”
The professional panelist stressed the importance of including layers of security to prevent schools from being breached. The panel also stressed that people should monitor social media for any indications that a school shooting may occur.
“In this country, as of yesterday, July 19, there have been 485 mass shootings. Here in Texas, during the month of July, we have had two,” West says, “It's not going away. We have to face this issue like we have in this past and, resilient as we are as Texans, find the solution to the problem.”
