His time, most of the victims were innocent young children. There were 26 dead, including 20 children, at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut that devastated the nation right before Christmas.

These innocent children died in vain if we do not learn from this tragedy and work together to prevent the next one. The victims of mass violence serve as a warning to us all. We can no longer ignore the risks and continue to do the same things, expecting different results.

In order to effectively manage future threats, we must be willing to think about the problem differently. These low probability—yet high consequence—events continue to occur and are a growing public concern.

No place is immune to an active shooter attack, and no one knows when and where the next such terrorist attack will occur.

Mass violence is a serious multifaceted challenge that transcends all politics, and no single approach in itself can stop these killers. The solution must include two key components: prevention and response.

Prevention through detection

The best way to mitigate risk is to prevent it from occurring in the first place, so law enforcement agencies have been diligently working on preventing the next attack.

Important reports about preincident indicators among at-risk individuals have been published online by the United States Secret Service (USSS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). I urge everyone to read these free reports.

Recognizing the signs of danger is essential to early intervention by school staff, parents and law enforcement and can prevent some of these attacks … but not all of them.

Prevention through deterrence

Perpetrators always attack the most vulnerable victims. It’s no coincidence, that whatever their motivation,mass murderers attack soft targets. What makes a school a particularly soft target for a mass shooting is its vulnerability due to the lack of defense capabilities (gun-free zone) and the large concentration of targets in the area (schools are what we in the military call a “target rich environment.”)

Potential attackers know that they will be able to create many casualties due to the schools’ inability to immediately counter the assault. The only person armed in a school during such attacks is usually the killer. These inherent vulnerabilities of schools unfortunately increase the likelihood of future attacks.As a first step in improving security, it is highly recommended that every school assemble a Threat & Vulnerability Assessment (TVA) team and conduct a thorough assessment of the security on campus. Following the findings and recommendations of the TVA team, the school can then develop and implement a plan to improve campus security.

There is no doubt that improving physical security can help deter or delay a violent intrusion, but it does not always work. There is no such thing as 100 percent security and risk can never be reduced to zero. We must be prepared to respond effectively when security fails and act swiftly to protect ourselves.

Response: Outside intervention

Since the devastating … Read the rest

The post How To Prevent Mass Shootings At School appeared first on Into The Jungle.

from Into The Jungle https://www.intothejungle.org/prevent-mass-shootings-school/
via IntoTheJungle on Weebly