EXCLUSIVE: Arming Lakewood’s school teachers with firearms, isn’t the answer to stop another Newtown-style massacre, Police Chief Rob Lawson tells TLS.
Asked if arming teachers was something to be considered for added safety of the students, said Chief Lawson “Guns don’t belong in the classroom. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
But the Chief wasn’t against the idea of having an administrator or principal trained in using a firearm, and keeping a weapon locked up in the school.
The Chief added, however, that Public School Security personnel who are armed, should be sufficient.
“I’m more comfortable with arming security who have handled firearms all their career”, Lawson said. “But teachers? I don’t see that. Arming teachers could have tragic circumstances.”
In August, various emergency responders from Lakewood and Brick held a drill simulating this exact scenario – an active shooter at a school.
However, the shooting massacre in Connecticut doesn’t necessarily point to any additional threats to local schools, says the Chief.
But despite calling it an “Isolated incident, with a deranged individual”, the Chief says he has added additional patrols to all schools.
“I asked patrol to keep an eye out and and an extra presence at the schools”, says Lawson.
Police Sergeant Robert DeSimone, who serves as the Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, called on all schools to review the security protocols for their schools.
“In light of the recent events that have taken place in Newtown Connecticut, the Lakewood Police Department would remind all of our school administrators and principals to review and refresh their individual emergency-management plans and remind staff of standard safety protocol”, DeSimone said. “The tragic shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary school is a rare event that should not cause fear, but is a reminder of the importance of having a sound security plan that is practiced with monthly drills. The Lakewood Police Department remains vigilant in protecting our schools but it is very important to report all unusual events to the Lakewood Police Department. Remember if you see something say something.” TLS.
The Chief is right.
We need to understand that there are people with a propensity to evil that will commit murder. The nation is lacking in adequate measures to identify and assist people with mental illness, and their families.
Mental illness is a medical condition that needs to be addressed, so that proper care for people that demonstrate violence to others can be mandatory.
As a teacher I think that it would come in handy to have a gun ( just teasing)
Chief’s right. Just armed security guards may work as a deterrent.
Growing up in the Confederacy, we all knew basic gun safety (never load a gun until ready to shoot, never point it at someone even unloaded, always keep the safety on, and never keep the hammer back). The campus police at the University of Texas carried guns and today guns are sometimes carried by teachers in public school.
(As for us, remember that a k’le zayin is forbidden in a bais medrash. Note also that police officers do not check their guns with the doorman when they enter a yeshiva.)
The laws in Texas and other states are getting more and more liberal. Never before was it legal to carry a concealed weapon. Guns and rifles had to be displayed on dashboards or in the truck back window or on a holster on your belt. Today you can carry them in your pocket as matter of right.
I recall several shootings in Houston the 1970s. When I was in 12th grade, the next high school over had a cafeteria shooting in which two students were killed. A pipe bomb went off in a locker in our local junior high. But, none of these shootings involved assault weapons. Even the great Texas Tower massacre in 1966 was with regular 30 odd 6s and other “true blue” firearms.
The American people easily outgun the federal government and do not need to possess assault weapons to guard their second amendment right to defend their states against invasion from both domestic and foreign tyranny.
all teachers should have bullet proof vests too ?
who is paying for all this security ???????
I disagree with the Chief on this one. I think as our nation discusses how to prevent future tragedies all options have to be on the table. In my opinion, that includes changing federal law so that teachers can be armed to protect their students. Perhaps, that isn’t the answer since that leads to the possibility that a teacher could snap and use the gun on his or her own students. Nevertheless, we should at least consider it as an option and require teachers to regularly undergo psychological examinations.
Ive read a big source of all these crazy killings are all those drugs they give kids these days like ritalin etc… I wonder if that is true…
In many cases, the teachers need to lock their doors, during a lockdown from the outside, with a key. This means that the teacher needs to be standing in the hall with the key, locking the door as an assailant is in the building. This does not make sense. This is why a teacher was shot in Newtown. She was in the hall locking down her room. Please review if this is the case in your schools.
maybe tasers?
I can just see one of my students trying to be geshmak- they’ll come up to my desk to pretend to ask me a question, then grab my gun as a joke, and next thing we know there’s a kid in the back bleeding from his head!! It’s not going to work- ever.
how about a guard at the front door of every school?? we pay enough taxes!!
chief is right. Not all teachers created equal. Yes some teachers also have disorders an can be very effective teachers if medicated… and should not have guns. Also a student can grab the gun while a teachers guard is down. We’re talking about big (let’s say highschool) students who themselves may have criminal background… Keep those guns out of the classroom!
Perhaps there is a way to lock all the classrooms electronically from the office in case of a crazy person in school… it would cost a pretty penny but it would be much safer.
#5
It is my understanding they “lockdown” from the INSIDE and that is what was done in Newtown as well.
lots of nonsense being spewed by many ,every school should have an armed officer PERIOD ….. all this talk of its going to cost money ,let me ask any parent how much is your childs life worth ? we waste so much money on non essential things ~ FIND the money to protect the children.
Are you on not thinking clearly, we all pay taxes, but in Lakewood there are close to 100 schools and not enough police to cover each school, so then you the parents will have to pay more for armed guards in every school.
Last year I attended a school security training session conducted by Sgt. DeSimone who truly cares about the children of Lakewood. Every teacher should attend such a class. I feal safe teaching, because the Lakewood police department watches over us.
let me point out that if an armed guard or police officer is in a school, the first person to be shot will be him. after that the shooter is free to continue and no one can stop him. That is why maybe one or two teachers or school staff should have a gun in school.
to # 3, A. Lang,
Tex, I noticed that you used the term “assault weapon” twice in your comment. This is the term the liberal media use constantly to stir up anti-gun sentiment. Please, for the benefit of the uneducated, define the term “assault weapon”.
Thanks,
an old friend – ZC
To my understanding, no autopsy results have been released of the murderer’s drug profile, if any. However, it is a known fact , printed clearly on the medication boxes that certain drugs could cause teenagers to have homicidal tendencies and can become dangerous. Perhaps it should be stressed that young adults and teens taking these drugs need to be monitored carefully by specific facilities, rather than releasing them to the world to act out their delusions.
Keep your doorknob locked. Then all you do is slam the door shut!
BUT-the current rule is to keep classroom doors open at all times. Doesn’t make sense to me.
the fact that people are asking our police chief and others about arming teachers is outrageously crazy! guns do not belong in school. the reality is all the schools can do is have a plan that will slow someone down, lock the doors and cross their fingers. our children need to feel safe and as a parent this horrible shooting has made me feel helpless. no one should have access to an assault weapon, the name alone says it all.
our gun laws should be nationwide the same.stronger than they are now. it’s about time that our nation stopped the nonsense and stood up against those that think it’s a right to arm themselves with multiple guns, and ammo that could bring down a school fired in rapid succession.
Someone bent on destruction will carry out their evil plan. When Pres Reagan was shot, the shooter had a 6 shot 22 revolver. In spite of all the secret service security and heavy protection, the shooter wounded 4 with his six shots, including the president. We need to revise our mental health laws and provide an option to remove potentially dangerous people. In almost all these cases, a deranged individual with known mental health issues was the perpetrator.
i guess you dont really care about your kids in school (if u have any kids in school), bc if u would, u would say that the kids should also wear bullet proof vests . i guess u only care about the teachers and not the students.
I would think that assault weapons are repeating rifles that use the energy of a shot to discard the used shell and prepare the next cartridge, although you have to pull the trigger again. They also include “large capacity ammunition feeding devices” those with 10 rounds and more. Neither were marketed until the 1980s, which explains why the numbers have gotten so high lately, even though you always had shootings.