"No law ever stopped a murderer from killing someone.  Intent is more a weapon than the tool by which one carries out the act."

The recent school shooting tragedy in Florida reminds us all how, in a single instant, one’s life can change.   What’s lacking in the public conversation are comprehensive strategies for “prevention.”  After all, we have all kinds of security for adults whether it’s the doorman at your high rise in the city, the TSA agent at the airport, or the buzzer at the front desk of the corporation where one works. 

How can we continue to permit School tragedies and protect ourselves the way we do and not realize the disconnect?  Furthermore, how can individuals who have failed their duties be permitted to shift blame to an organization such as the NRA?  The NRA did not pull the trigger.  The FBI failed.  The School Resource Officer failed.  The psychologist(s) who prescribed Nikolas Cruz’ medication failed to warn others.  The step parents failed to detect what was in their own home.  Failure stinks to high heaven but the media lead us to believe the blame be shifted to an entity that wasn’t even present in Cruz’ life.  

Speaking as a parent, I can tell you that our local schools practice lockdown drills and have an armed Sherriff’s deputy present at each of its 3 locations.  It’s a comforting notion, and certainly a massive psychological obstacle to anyone with ill intent.  Unless you were at that school in Florida, where the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Resource Officer not only failed in his duties, but waited outside while the shots continued to ring out.  He has subsequently resigned.

A law enforcement official present on site is a valuable deterrent, but is that one individual enough to stop a student or person with malicious intent?  Further to the conversation, should our concern be limited to schools? 

In this discussion I am going to propose a variety of layers of protection that may seem obvious but for some reason we don’t have them yet for our most precious resource, our children.  Manpower, technology and protocol can all play a part in not only keeping our schools safe, but in keeping any public gathering place safe from a hostile individual.

Here are the components to be discussed:

• Access to School campuses
• Use of School Marshalls or Public Venue Marshalls as a first line of defense. 
• Creation of a two-tiered phone app that alerts other on-site entities to a threat; and secondly alerts law enforcement of a developing situation.
• Additional Supporting technology to prevent fatalities such as Enhanced Tasers, Bullet-proof doors, metal detection etc.

Access to School Campuses

As everyone knows you can’t protect what’s inside from the outside without a layer of protection.  It’s as simple as a winter coat to protect from the cold and as complex as barbed wire, concrete and bars to protect society against incarcerated criminals.

A variety of technologies have been used for decades by the corporate world for access to business facilities.  Often found are RFID access cards or Fingerprint units.  While we don’t need to go these lengths with students who are getting off the school bus, others that arrive by alternate means could enter by a different process altogether.

Each student could be equipped with an RFID student ID.  If they’re late or driving themselves to school, they must enter via an alternate door, scan their card (which records data about lateness etc.) and join the school population.  That door, equipped with a metal detector, could be manned by a School Marshall or Resource Officer during the first hour, after which it is sealed.  That same RFID Id card could be used for school lunch, the library and many other school related functions (access to computers and so on).  If you don’t have a card you don’t gain entry.  This could keep non-students like Nikolas Cruz from entering.

School Marshalls

If you’ve taken a flight since 2001, you know that there may either be an armed Air Marshall, armed Pilot or both on board.  It seems logical that if we are willing to protect adults with an Air Marshall, that we take this concept and protect the most defenseless of our citizens by implementing a School Marshall Program.  There are many individuals that may qualify for such a program right off the bat, including former military personnel that have become teachers, coaches or administrators.  There may also be licensed concealed carry owners that are among the teaching population of the school.  In cases where none exist, volunteers or new hires could fill these positions.  Current teachers and future hires should be offered an enhanced premium to their salaries for being a Certified School Marshall.

Certified School Marshalls would need to be thoroughly vetted and continuously trained.  To whatever extent possible, they should remain anonymous to the school population.  They would undergo ongoing training not just in firearms, but also in the use of Taser systems and tactical support on how to approach a “hot” situation.  There should be a ratio of students per Marshall, so that their geographic locations in the school are spread out, allowing for the speediest response time; perhaps 1 Marshall for every 150-250 students.  These Marshalls could also provide administrative support for drug intervention or other criminal activity on the school grounds.  They would be known to law enforcement and should interact with them at least twice a year, either as part of ongoing education or about trends in criminal activity targetting young people such as drugs and gangs.

This SCHOOL MARSHALL model could be duplicated for ANY venue that hosts 100 people more, including movie theaters, stadiums, hotels, concerts, dance clubs… all of the prominent locations where masses of people are gathered, sitting like targets enjoying a leisure activity.  These are the most likely targets of those seeking to inflict maximum harm on humanity.  Who and where these Marshalls are and come from is perhaps an entirely new industry that could be created from former military, law enforcement and other professionals.

Technology and a Phone App

With just about everyone using a cell phone these days, an “App” could be developed that improves vigilance and response time to potentially developing situations.  It could be simple, and fingerprint activated, with color codes assigned to different levels of activity.  A teacher would simply touch yellow to alert staff that something may be developing.  This alert would show up on all staff cell phones, utilizing an in-school geo-locator that provides the closest room number to the development.  Alerted staff in the area, could coordinate on the area and individual in question.  It’s cheap.  It’s effective and it doesn’t require a lot of installation.  It could be used when a teacher sees a suspended student on campus, or when an individual

The second tier to the App system could send alerts to local law enforcement that a situation is brewing.  Any available officer could be redirected in a code RED scenario a lot faster than waiting for a phone call.  Code RED would not only be transmitted to school staff, but also to local law enforcement. 

This APP system should be a requirement for any school receiving Federal funding whether it be the subsidized lunch program or computer grants. 

Additional Technologies

While educators may not wish to become School Marshalls, perhaps they may be inclined to learn the operation of a Taser.  In fact, perhaps Taser could develop specialized implements for Campus settings. This would at least provide a minimal layer of defense to an inexperienced staff member seeking to disable a hostile element. 

Are bullet proof doors really necessary? Probably not.  The goal is to protect the perimeter so that an evildoer can’t cause harm within the halls of the school.  Security Cameras, access cards and so on could tighten things up at a nominal cost.  If we can build a transgender bathroom we can certainly give every child an RFID card, or pay a School Marshall an extra $5,000 to $10,000 a year to protect those we love most. 

Terrorists, whether domestic or foreign, don’t care about gun laws.  If they don’t have weapons, they can most likely acquire them; just ask cartel members in Mexico who were given them in Operation Fast and Furious.  “ILLEGAL” firearms are out there, Kalishnikovs smuggled in containers from China, making their way through tunnels under the border and so on.  No law ever stopped a murderer from killing someone.  Intent is more a weapon than the tool by which one carries out the act.