WMPD making safety in schools a priority

WMPD making safety in schools a priority

Resource officers serve the district, community

news@theeveningtimes.com

School resource officers present the most visible form of safety and security in West Memphis schools.

Three West Memphis Police officers work on campuses in the West Memphis School District and the department consults, trains, and drills at every school building in the city limits including West Memphis Christian, Steudlein, and the Marion Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School in the Avondale building, and the ASU-Mid South Campus. With summer vacation almost over School Resource Officer Kevin Jordan and Captain Bob Langston provided a timely overview of police security efforts underway in West Memphis at a session of the citizens academy.

Jordan works as the SRO at the Academies of West Memphis. Two other SROs serve as liaisons primarily at East and Wonder. Jordan indicated all factors contributing to safe, secure and orderly school environment were trending in a positive direction in the West Memphis School District. He began with a definition.

“A school resource officer serves as a liaison between the school and police and provide information to students or school personnel about law enforcement matters,” said Jordan.

“We’re there to maintain a safe, secure and orderly environment at the school for students, teachers and staff. SROs provide active law enforcement on campuses, educate students by teaching law related classes, and council both students and parents to aid them in making the right decisions at school and in their communities. SROs get involved in students lives as positive role models. SROs patrol property to protect it from damage and school visitors from harm.”

When the WMPD intentionally shifted its orientation to community policing, an obvious opportunity opened to increase positive interactions at the schools.

“We’ve begun reading to the young kids,” said Jordan. “We’re trending in the right direction. You’ll see more officers at school.

This comes from our leadership wanting to make sure we leave a positive image in our community.”

That included the department mascot. The greyhound Rusty will make the scene during special occasions at the grade schools.

Jordan said reluctance described his initial reaction to SRO duty, but he grew to enjoy it.

“Kids can be difficult; kids are kids, and we once were all kids,” said Jordan. “I treat them as I’ve been in their shoes before. I’m a friend, an uncle, a brother, a dad, a listening ear and to be an SRO you must be willing to do this.”

Some students are gang members. Jordan is not only eyes and ears in the building, he trolls social media to keep bullying and gang activity tamped down. “We do have kids that don’t want any part of it,” said Jackson. “Those are the ones we protect. My social media, I did not want to get. But, I’m glad I did, because I can see kids as they really are. Kids will fool you at home and at church.”

Parents get fooled too. Jordan has encountered incredulous parents that felt their child would never instigate trouble.

“Then I just roll back the camera,” said Jordan. “It’s easier than trying to repeat to that mom as she insists, no my kid wouldn’t do that. This is everyday, going to roll back that camera. Parents want and respect high school administrators that are fair and tough. They’ll sign the handbook and everything is OK until it’s their kid, then say not my little Johnny.”

Jordan made a final note that students plugged into extra-curricular activities presented fewer problems and were less likely to be involved in gang life.

In a separate interview, West Memphis School Board President Gary Masner indicated a proactive agenda on school security.

The school district began installing electronic locked entries upgraded during remodeling and specified in all new buildings. New design concepts aimed at improved campus security are part of construction specifications.

“We’ve had active shooter drills with police and responders,” said Masner.

“You want to be as safe as we can practically be. We are making those efforts as quick as we can. We’ve gone back to some schools with electronic door locks so we can ring somebody in. The Bragg playground is pretty well self-contained. The new school for Jackson is in a circle with the playground in the middle. In the past there were wings with doors in every end. We are building in more security into the schools.”

Long-term ideas under discussion at the school board included an SRO presence in every school and keeping an eye on each campus with a Sky Cop.

Captain Langston also outlined security efforts and crisis response readiness to the citizens academy group. He held a personal stake with his teacher wife and a children students in the WMSD.

“None of my kids or wife would be there if the schools weren’t safe,” said Langston. “Our SROs do an excellent job. Our administrators in schools don’t play around with kids that disrupt and will put them in alternative schools and suspend so that vast majority of kids that want to learn can learn.”

Langston discussed school shooting response plans with the class. Analyzing buildings and training faculty and staff, and developing preemptive measure and increase alertness. The captain said Superintendent Jon Collins took the police recommendation to harden outsider access and ordered all classroom doors locked.

“The last time we checked classroom doors we found just three unlocked,” said Langston. “We found a weakness. They all had substitute teachers, and now those teachers are being addressed as well.”

Active shooter training has become an annual exercise. “We’ve been training in West Memphis schools for seven years now. Our training officers will be out at schools again next week for a security brief. We’ve been with new teachers already. We will be at every campus this year. For the last five years all our officers have done active shooter training. We train a lot. It is important. This year we brought in our paramedics and ambulance services.”

Langston noted the Parkland school shooting last February and explained the typical school shooting scenario.

“The schools are locking classroom doors now and that is important,” said Langston. “We can prevent a Parkland by simply locking doors. The average school shooting is five or six minutes long. But doesn’t seem very long but the average casualty rate is that someone is shot every fifteen seconds. In five minutes you are looking at 20 hit. Shooters are looking for easy access and they want to make the news. According to studies, all but the most determined shooters can be deterred with locked classroom doors.”

How has the groundwork paid off? The police pulled on every classroom door in April.

“We had all we could do to find an unlocked door,” said Langston. “We met with new teachers in the school district with experience and they are relieved that they can lock doors.

We go into schools now and find 100 percent of the classroom doors locked.

You won’t find another school system in Arkansas like that.”

Both Captains Joe Baker and Langston took recent training to assess building security and offered a review of buildings.

“I’ve done a few of these for churches,” said Langston. “Don’t wait to until the day after another tragedy to contact us about doing an security analysis for your building.”

By John Rech