23 – 25 September, 2024
Orange County Convention Center Orlando, FL

school security

3 Myths and Tips of Campus Security (Education & Houses of Worship)

by Garret Macrine

3 myths of campus security for educational institutions and houses of worship

1. “A security guard or officers on campus will give the atmosphere of a prison or make people feel like they are under siege.”
2. “Schools and places of worship are impossible to secure as anyone can enter at any time by the very nature of their intention and design.”
3. “If only we had 360 security camera coverage we would be safe as clams with all that monitoring and detection.”

3 things you should know about campus security for educational institutions and houses of worship

1. Security is unimportant to them, a divisive topic and burdensome… until someone gets hurt.
2. They may believe firearms on campus will ultimately lead to their use on campus and further vulnerability to violence.
3. Run, Hide, Fight cannot work in a church or synagogue as there is nowhere to run and hiding depends on luck.

Garret Macrine will present on “Israeli Security Best Practices for Law Enforcement and Physical Security Professionals,” at GSX in September.

Top 5 Issues for Campus Security (Education & Houses of Worship)

by Garret Macrine

1. These institutions want to operate on an “open campus” platform in an effort to foster an atmosphere of invitation to newcomers, welcoming guests and acceptance. In parallel they open them selves up to vulnerabilities from bad actors who look for soft targets.

2. Many decision makers are averse to having anyone in a uniform on campus, as teenagers often avoiding authority figures. In the mean time unarmed “guards” provide little actual effect on outcomes of emergency situations of a violent nature.

3. Funding is often spoken for and allocated to other programs that are more palatable then active threat training. Only after a heinous act are people willing to accept the reality of our society.

4. There is no set standardization or official governing body for emergency procedures and enforced implementation. Outside of the fire martial the only other source provided by the government is a resource officer, which has its own limitations as we have seen.

5. Most threat assessments provided for free by the local police department or DHS representative are far to generic in nature and do little to address the details of any one specific institution making the request. Further they lack any specific guidance on how to allocate resources and design with security in mind. This is nonetheless an attractive option because it is readily available, free and accessible.

Garret Macrine will present on “Israeli Security Best Practices for Law Enforcement and Physical Security Professionals,” at GSX in September.