‘Campus Safety & Security’ takes many forms

A discussion on “Campus Safety & Security” focused on an integrated service approach and the technology that is helping make local campuses safer. One of the featured panels at the Collin Leadership Policy Summit, the conversation touched on independent school district and college campus security and safety.

Moderated by Prosper Mayor David Bristol, the discussion kicked off with an overview of the need for campus safety, and Dr. Shelly Spaulding, assistant superintendent of McKinney ISD, noted, “We believe that kids can’t learn without feeling safe in their schools, so it has always been a top priority.” The district had school resource officers (SROs) in middle and high schools, as well as a strong relationship with the McKinney Police Department. She said that the district found working with McKinney PD to be especially important as it fulfilled the requirements of Texas House Bill 3 (88^th Legislature), which requires armed security at all schools in the state, including elementary schools. Spaulding said the district relied on McKinney PD for assistance and advice while they were filling SRO positions.

Many of the panelists addressed a teamwork approach to safety and security, with internal colleagues and with external partners.

Sandra Tomeo, assistant chief of Plano Police Department, said her agency’s assigned beat officers check in with elementary schools regularly. It started as a response to HB3, checking in twice a day while Plano ISD implemented its security staffing plan, but it has continued even though the district now has school marshals in place. School marshals are selected armed employees who respond in the event of an active shooter incident.

“We have continued our checks with the elementary schools because it is valuable for our officers to be familiar with the school marshals so that in a worst-case scenario, they already have a working relationship,” Tomeo said.

Collin College Police Chief Scott Jenkins said that the college district requires officers to attend Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) and all employees to receive Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) training. He also noted that Collin College has school marshals.

“We were well-positioned when that law passed, and we have continued to make improvements in our safety and security at Collin College,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins also talked about the college’s camera systems, which have an artificial intelligence component that identifies suspicious activity and alerts police officers to a potential need to investigate. These types of camera systems are becoming common in school districts and colleges. Dr. Spaulding said that McKinney ISD has a similar system, and Brent Tourangeau, chief of police for The University of Texas at Dallas, also talked about UTD’s camera system. He said the cameras capture license plates as cars enter the campus or travel in specific areas and check them against criminal reports submitted by other agencies to help direct officers to locations that may need a police response.

“I think that provides a … sense of safety, and it gives us a peace of mind that, hopefully, we will be alerted in time if there is any ill intent,” Tourangeau said.

The discussion also touched on the relationships of school resource officers with students, how officers are recruited for the specialized campus law enforcement role, and the way that Collin College and the Plano Police responded to a fake shooting call.