As hundreds of
thousands of people, most of them students, demonstrated against gun violence to
try and get action from the nation’s lawmakers, two questions may have been on
a lot of people’s minds. One, can it
happen at my or my child’s school, and two, how prepared are local first
responders to handle an active shooter in a school?
Since the Feb. 14
massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the political rhetoric and
voices of high school students nationwide have resonated from coast-to-coast
and will hopefully continue.
And while the
debate continues, ways to prevent the kind of carnage we saw in Florida, Las
Vegas and far too many other cities and schools, one question people might be
asking is: can it happen here? The
answer is, unfortunately, yes it probably could happen at a school in Buffalo
Grove or, for that matter, any school.
That stark reality
raises another question: are the schools
prepared to respond to an active shooter? In a perfect world, the answer is
yes. However, as we’ve seen, this is
hardly a perfect world. The reality is
that no matter how many drills and procedures a school may have, dealing with
an actual situation is a horse of a different color.
Fortunately both
Stevenson and Buffalo Grove High Schools are served outstanding
first-responders who work with the schools in the development of response
protocol in the event of an active shooter.
Buffalo Grove
Police Chief Steven Casstevens presented a detailed synopsis about school
safety at the Board’s Feb. 26 meeting.
His focus, obviously, was on Buffalo Grove High School as Stevenson High
School is in Lincolnshire.
That does not
mean, however, that the village is not part of a response plan to
Stevenson. Even though students who live in the Lake County portion
of the village attend Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, the BGPD is
actively involved in a response plan to Stevenson.
District 125
spokesperson Jim Conrey told me via email that “We have not made any revisions
or changes to our security procedures since the shooting in Florida. Regarding
general procedures, all adults entering our building who are not employees must
check in, during which time we conduct a background check on them. The public
only may enter the building at four locations, all manned by security personnel.”
Despite its
Lincolnshire location, Conrey said “while Stevenson is not in Buffalo Grove, we
have worked with and will continue to work with the BG Police Department on
security issues.”
Commander Kimberly
Covelli of the Lincolnshire Police Department noted that a response to an
active shooter at Stevenson would include police departments from the
communities that feed Stevenson. In addition to Buffalo Grove and Lincolnshire,
the Lake County Sheriff’s Office as well as Hawthorn Woods, Vernon Hills, Mundelein,
Kildeer, Lake Zurich, and Riverwoods police departments would have a role.
Covelli said via
email that “We are constantly evaluating our emergency response plans to
schools, as well as all public buildings.
We feel confident our current tactical plan meets the objectives of
student, faculty, and staff safety.”
As expected, plans
for an emergency are discussed on a proactive basis. “Each year, members from
the police department meet with Stevenson staff members and members from the
Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Department to discuss the school’s safety plans,”
Covelli said.
“The plan itself,
including any revisions, are discussed at this meeting. In the past, if the
school has suggested a significant change to their plan, officials have asked
for our department’s input into their plan.
Essentially, Stevenson’s safety plan is just that – their own plan. Each entity has different roles but at the
same time understand we all need to work together toward achieving the same end
goal – safety of the students, staff, and any other school visitors. In
addition, we also have officers from our department coordinate with school
staff on helping conduct their annual lockdown drills,” Covelli said.
The Buffalo Grove
Police Department, like other departments, has response plans for active
shooter. In what might be deemed a sad statement of things, I originally
contacted the BGPD after the Las Vegas shootings which left 58 people dead.
At that time, Michael
Szos Deputy Chief of Administration for the BGPD indicated that the department conducts
year-round training that helps prepare not only officers, but dispatchers and
the fire department as well, for an active shooter incident.
Szos said via
email that the training is not done in response to any specific event, but “is
meant to offer continued training to officers on neutralizing a threat as
quickly and safely as possible.”
He added that “officers
are trained in proper entry formations into a building where there is an active
threat. Officers focus on negating that threat as quickly as possible, by
communicating with each other, forthcoming units, dispatch, the fire department
and other agencies.
“These scenarios
are fast evolving and designed to challenge officers while also familiarizing
them with different buildings throughout the village.” Szos said the training
has taken place in schools, commercial buildings and office structures as well.
Casstevens told me
that in the event of an active shooter in a school, all personnel from the BGPD
responds. This includes uniformed and plain-clothes officers.
Resources are
readily available at what Szos calls “a moment’s notice.” Augmenting those
resources, Szos said “officers are also equipped with an AR-15 rifle in every
squad car, which they train with several times a year. There are maps of
schools and some office building interiors given to officers, which aid them in
locating suspects and victims in the event of a catastrophe.”
It is an
impressive array of planning by the Lincolnshire and Buffalo Grove police
departments. Unfortunately, it reflects what we see happening today.
It’s clear that
steps to handling active-shooter situations are in place. The challenge is to work on prevention.
