Weapons on Campus:

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Weapons on Campus
A Case Study
Bill Bixby Kevin Hughart Don Mercer
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Prince William County Public Schools
Prince William Police Dept.
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Prince William County
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Prince William County, Virginia
Demographics

• 348 Square Miles
• 35 Miles SW of Washington, D.C.
• Population 360,000

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Prince William County, Virginia

• Eastern PWC (Urban areas centered around Route 66
  and Interstate 95)
• Western PWC (Rural Crescent)

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Prince William County, Virginia
Did you know?

• 1st 2nd Battles of Manassas

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Prince William County, Virginia

• Quantico Marine Base (Crossroads of the Marine
  Corps)

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Prince William County, Virginia

• President's Cup

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REGIONAL EVENTS

• September 11
• (2001)
• "Sniper" Shooting (2002)

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Prince William County Public Schools
Budget Employees Schools Enrollment County
809,626,102 8,500 82 69,000 (53 Minority
Population) 64th Largest
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Phases of Emergency Management

• Prevention
• Preparedness
• Response
• Recovery

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Prince William County Public Schools School
Security
A Collaborative Effort
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Prince William County Public Schools School
Security
PWC was one of the first in the country to
station School Resource Officers (SRO) at
schools. (Currently, there are SROs in all middle
and high schools.)
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School Violence Response Plans
Plan is a collaborative product of PWCPS, the
Police Department and Fire Department.
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School Violence Response Plans

• Annual Training of all Police Officers in School
  Violence Response Protocol
• Use of Schools
• Drills at Schools
• Annual Review and Input

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School Violence Response Plans

• Purchased 800 Mhz Radio System, which is
  integrated for Police Department, Fire
  Department, and school use.
• Established a School Division Incident Command
  Center (ICC).
• Installed a 2,000,000 digital closed circuit
  television system in all schools.
• Integrated system with the Police Command
  Center.

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Crisis Management
Crisis Management Plan book is a template for
schools to use to prepare plans.
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Crisis Management

• Crisis Management Plan template (Classroom
  Edition in Each Classroom)
• Annual review of all schools' plans
• Training Specialist for Crisis Management/Security
  (Random drills and table top exercises)

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Crisis Management

• Police and Fire Department "School Violence
  Response Plan"
• Police drills at schools
• Implementation of "Signal 15"

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Crisis Management

• Annual Security Officer In-Service
• DCJS School Security Officer Certification
  Program
• Crisis/Emergency Preparedness Pamphlet

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Bull Run Middle

• Located in the Rural
• Crescent
• Middle-Upper Class
• Neighborhoods
• Grades 6-8
• Students 1,250

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Bull Run Middle
June 18, 2004
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Bull Run Middle - Facts
June 18, 2004
30-06 Rifle
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Bull Run Middle - Facts
June 18, 2004
Caliber 22LR Rifle
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Bull Run Middle - Facts
June 18, 2004
410 Gauge Shotgun
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Bull Run Middle - Facts
June 18, 2004
Bag of Ammunition with 58 Rounds
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Bull Run Middle - Facts
June 18, 2004
Knives
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Bull Run Middle - Facts
June 18, 2004
Flammables
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Bull Run Middle - Facts
June 18, 2004
What went right?
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Bull Run Middle - Facts
June 18, 2004
Just about everything!
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Bull Run Middle

• No one hurt
• Lockdown initiated quickly
• Police responded immediately and had suspect
  in custody within ten minutes

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Bull Run Middle Recovery

• De-briefing
• Community Meeting
• Counseling
• Summer Activities for Students, Staff, and
  Police Department
• Additional Counseling Available
• Bullying Emphasis

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Bull Run Middle

• Issues to Review
• PA System
• Cardboard Over the Windows
• Lockdown Procedure

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Bull Run Middle

• Issues to Review
• Crime Scene
• Be Flexible
• Multiple Agency Involvement

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CRISIS MANAGEMENT

• Dynamic Process
• Practice . . . Practice . . . Practice
• Continue to Improve

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Prince William County Public Schools
QUESTIONS?