Howard County Police said Friday afternoon they would be increasing patrols around schools next week after an elementary school shooting in Connecticut.
A gunman allegedly killed 27 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, according to Newtown Patch. The gunman was reportedly found dead inside the school.
Howard County police spokesperson Sherry Llewellyn said the department recently concluded in-service training to review the department's "active shooter plan" with its members.
"We also conduct drills to simulate mass shooting incidents," wrote Lllewelyn in an email. "The procedure has police working closely with the school system, which has systems in place to reach out to parents quickly."
Llewellyn said Police Chief William McMahon spoke with the head of security for the school system Friday after the tragedy in Connecticut to discuss safety in county schools.
Police currently post 13 officers in high schools as school resource officers, three in the middle schools (which travel among schools) and there are also two school resource officer supervisors. Officers are not placed in elementary schools in the county.
See related coverage:
- Anne Arundel Police Heighten School Security After Connecticut Shooting
- County Police Patrolling Schools Without Resource Officers After Connecticut Shooting
- Patch Exclusive: 'It Wasn't Me' Man Named as Shooter Writes
The right thing to do is to tell the children not to worry, it's not going to happen here. When you put the police out front you tell the children it could happen here and we are scared about it. It's time to stop overreacting to extremely uncommon events, tragic though they are.
There have been 12 school massacres in the last 20 years in the United States. (Wikipedia "List of rampage killers: School massacres") This means that any given school could expect to have a massacre once every 98817*(12/20) = 165,000 years. So those of you saying "We must do something!" and "Protect at all costs!", when you figure out what you want to do, figure out what that will cost and ask yourself "Could this money be spent on something better than having a massacre occur at my school less often than once every 165,000 years?"
My son is unaware of the school shooting. I see no reason for me to have to explain what the police in front of his school are for, when he is in no danger. I support gun control, and I always have, so you are arguing with the wrong guy there.
Well said and very true Dave. The government is not interested in the people's safety. This is painfully obvious with the fact the Psychotropic drug connection with the recent mass murders has not been mentioned let alone investigated. The government is only interested in gaining more control over the people. Trading Liberty for a false scene of security only promotes oppression.