NAPO participates in school safety
roundtable with attorney general
On March 8, NAPO Executive Director
Bill Johnson attended a roundtable discus-
sion with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and
other law enforcement representatives to
discuss the best practices and policies for
ensuring school safety. NAPO was one of
only two rank-and-file organizations in at-
tendance; all other participants (more than
a dozen) represented management.
The two-hour meeting was an open ex-
change of ideas and information on how best to secure our
nation’s schools in the wake of the latest school shooting at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Much of the discussion focused on training, law enforcement
presence and information sharing as the best ways to prevent
and respond to an active shooter situation at a school.
The majority of participants were in agreement that the only
armed individuals in schools should be trained law enforce-
ment officers or school resource officers (SROs) and that there
is a need to increase the number of officers or SROs in our na-
tion’s schools. There was some talk about the need to increase
funding to enable more schools and communities to have such
a law enforcement presence, including the possibility of using
Department of Education grants that are available to address
and prevent school violence.
The dominant theme of the conversa-
tion was the need for better information
sharing and breaking down barriers so that
the various aspects of the system can com-
municate. Currently, there is an inability
to share information, particularly among
school administrations and staff, public
safety and mental health professionals. The
group recommended to the attorney general
that there be increased information sharing and collaboration
among state and local communities, educators, mental health
officials and law enforcement to better provide care and detect,
intervene and respond to potential acts of violence in schools.
Guidance from the federal government on such information
sharing to ensure that privacy laws and individual civil rights
are not violated would greatly assist in this effort. Also recom-
mended was the need to provide better mental health services
and to make them more accessible, so that those who need care
can get it when they need it.
The training of law enforcement agencies and schools on re-
sponding to active shooter events was also a significant topic of
discussion. Johnson pointed out that not only should law en-
forcement agencies and school administrators be trained and
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26
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ MARCH 2018