JULY 27, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE #18-0727
CONTACT SHERIFF TIM MORSE 785-364-2251
Sheriff proposes School Defender Initiative
The first thing parents do after hearing about another school shooting is they confirm it isn’t their child’s school. Enough is enough, when will our politicians get it? For over 20 years now, children have been the targets of deranged persons who have slaughtered innocent children in a place we expect them to be safe, their schools. In 20 years, our federal and state government has done little to nothing to make them safer. The time has come for the people to stand up and demand that their children be protected from these disturbed individuals. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, there has been an increase in deadly violence among some of our young people. Nevertheless, our world is a different place than it once was.
After the Oklahoma City Bombing there were many security measures taken to secure Federal buildings. Since 9/11, there have been major changes in security at airports. It didn’t take 20 years for all these changes to happen. Why have we taken so long in this nation to protect our greatest treasures, our children? We need to make changes in how we protect our children and the changes need to start today. We need to think out of the box to make this happen. While politicians continue to fight, and activists feud with each other, it only wastes time and delays our schools from being secure. Further inaction will only result in more tragedy.
Murder has been illegal for a very longtime, therefore simply making more laws will not stop these horrific events from happening. Criminals and deranged killers are not law-abiding citizens and have no intention of following the law. No legislation can tell you what is in a person’s mind. More should be done for mental health, but at the same time, there is no magic wand to fix the world’s mental health issues. No law will make people take their medications.
In a country where there are more than 300,000,000 firearms and a constitutional amendment that protects the right of gun ownership, it is not possible to rid our country or the world of all firearms. Sadly, schools must be hardened like many government buildings. School entrances will have to be limited. Schools need highly trained and armed personnel to protect our children. Those entering schools need to be screened, and this is the only way to keep a building weapon free. Larger communities have more means to support these solutions. Many already have school resource officers that can help in providing security. Poor rural counties with little to no industry that have multiple school districts and numbers of buildings are presented with a security dilemma. Unless the federal government or the state government provides a funding stream to local communities, providing extra security personnel for law enforcement and school districts seems only to be an illusion.
Most active shootings and acts of violence take place in seconds or in just a few minutes. Response times could be more than 10 minutes, and in some places, much longer. The quicker the response, the greater the chance to save lives. Trained and armed personnel on scene are much more effective than waiting for help to arrive. The only effective way to stop an armed person is with a trained and armed person. While a lot has been done in dealing with the aftermath of school shootings, little has been done to prevent these tragedies from occurring in the first place.
In the recent past in Kansas, the Legislature passed a law that allowed school personnel to carry firearms. However, the largest insurers of Kansas schools was concerned about this possibility due to a number of liability issues that the law did not provide for. EMC Insurance who insures a majority of Kansas schools refused to cover districts that allowed this.
In times past, when the Sheriff needed help he would deputize a posse to pursue criminals or to help defend a community. The Sheriff is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in the county, and he or she is sworn to protect the rights of all of its citizens. As a Sheriff, I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep every child safe. Sheriffs have been vested with tremendous powers to protect our public. Unlike police chiefs, we don’t answer to city mangers or councils, but answer directly to the people. Sheriffs have the ability to get things done without lots of hurdles.
Since we can’t possibly eliminate all illegal use of deadly weapons and fix everyone’s mental health issue, I am proposing a plan that’s a bit out of the box. So please listen, and spend some time absorbing it. I have concerns about simply allowing teachers to carry guns in our schools. I certainly don’t advocate for all teachers to do so. I believe that persons carrying weapons in a school should have significant training. There are a variety of other personnel in schools: administrators, maintenance, coaches and others who may be good candidates to help provide increased security. Sadly, we have to think differently about school security. Change is never easy, but we need to do it to make our kids safe in every school in America.
In Kansas, the sheriff has the ability to have special deputies. Special deputies are not paid, but can have full or limited law enforcement authority. A sheriff can have a special deputy to serve papers, warrants or to transport prisoners, or they can serve as a regular deputy. My plan would allow school personnel to apply to be a School Protection Special Deputy for the purpose of entering the School Defender Initiative Program that would be created for our county. These applicants would be vetted the same as a full-time deputy. Applicants would have to undergo a thorough background investigation, psychological testing, applicant testing, and polygraphs. Only after successful completion in the hiring process, would they then be allowed to partake in the training program.
Currently, in the state of Kansas, part-time law enforcement officers undergo an 80-hour training program, after completion; they are certified law enforcement officers who can work up to 1000 hours per year.
In our state, rural and smaller populated communities rely on volunteers with great success. Volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel serve the public in emergency situations. Many of these emergency responders are employed by school districts. In many cases when there is a crisis in the school, they are already on scene to help. These volunteers become certified in their respective fields generally on their own time. Volunteers often attend training classes in the evenings or on weekends.
My plan would require no additional costs to the school districts for the School Defender Initiative. Participating individuals would train on their own time. Participants would for example attend the School Defender Initiative Program two full evenings a week and some Saturdays at the Sheriff’s Office for 10-14 weeks, much like EMT school. Participants would be trained in weapon retention, which is learning how to keep your weapon from being taken from you. They will be trained in constitutional issues, use of force and the legal aspects associated when lethal force can be used. They will be trained in the use of firearms by certified firearms instructors and will exceed the training hours that full-time law enforcement officers receive in the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (police academy). In addition, they will receive training that is not provided in the police academy. Participants will be thoroughly trained in active shooter drills. In addition, a field orientation program would be required. Only after successful completion would they be allowed to serve. Participants would undergo quarterly training and refresher classes, including required firearms qualifications.
These special deputies would act under the legal umbrella of the sheriff. When they act, they fall under the insurance of the sheriff. My county’s insurance provider who insures the majority of Kansas counties has already approved my plan and are willing to cover trained school protection deputies across the state. My provider made this statement to me regarding this program in a recent letter, “KCAMP’s coverage does apply to the program and the activities of the Special Deputies.” I am also told this plan also has addressed the concerns that the major insurance provider for Kansas schools had with armed school personnel.
The initial idea is to have these special deputies conceal their weapons and not to advertise their identity. They would function similar to sky marshals on airliners that only reveal their identity when there is a threat to the plane. These special deputies would make themselves known when there is a threat on the school. However, it would be made known to the public that there are trained and armed personnel and deputies on the premises in order to deter potential threats. School protection special deputies would have authority to keep the peace on school property, at school functions and in school transportation vehicles within their jurisdiction.
I believe there is a place in this plan for our qualifying retired military and law enforcement as well, to keep our schools safe and secure. They too could go through the same training. They could be used as building screeners or outside security when children are arriving and leaving school or boarding or unloading busses.
While I do not have much faith that our politicians will find solutions anytime soon, I believe with some hard work and dedication we can change our schools from being soft targets. I encourage the sheriffs in this state and nation to stand up and take the lead in securing our schools. Ultimately, your school board members will make the decision whether your school is secure or not. I am willing to do my part; however, I need your help in making this happen.
If you are opposed to this idea, please let me know if you have a better idea. How long will your plan take to make our kids safe? Regardless of what side you are on these issues, I am sure we can all agree, we love our kids and want them to grow to be healthy and happy citizens. Therefore, let us all work together to prevent the next nightmare in our country. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their children while at school.
Tim Morse, Sheriff
Jackson County, Kansas