Whether you’re checking out a new school or learning more about your child’s current one, it’s important to know what safety measures are in place.
Not sure where to start? Here are some key things to ask about. Don’t be afraid to get the answers you need. Your child’s safety is worth it.
Does the school have access control, or do doors remain unlocked during the day?
Has the staff received active shooter training?
Are there armed security personnel on campus?
What physical barriers protect classrooms, and how quickly can they be secured?
How often is safety training reviewed and updated?
If you have questions about addressing concerns at your child’s school, we invite you to reach out. We’ll help you explore ways to advocate for meaningful change, and we’d be honored to stand alongside you in that effort.
Have you ever paused to look at your front doors and wondered why they stay unlocked and unsupervised all day? Are you uneasy about the lack of a visitor policy, where anyone can enter your building without so much as a question? Or perhaps you’ve listened to heartbreaking news of active intruder incidents and asked yourself if lives could have been saved with better security measures—like doors that lock from the inside or entryways made of reinforced materials.
You’re not alone. These are critical questions every organization should consider.
Taking the First Step: Understanding Your Vulnerabilities
The first step to addressing these concerns is a Security Vulnerability Assessment (SVA) conducted by professionals. An SVA identifies weaknesses in your physical security, technology, and procedures, providing a clear roadmap for improvements. Whether it’s your home, school, or workplace, understanding vulnerabilities is essential to creating a safer environment for everyone.
Feeling overwhelmed by the findings of an SVA is natural, but inaction isn’t the solution. At Defend Systems, we provide a detailed report from our assessment, prioritizing recommendations based on the likelihood of a threat exploiting a vulnerability and the potential impact it could have. Gradual, thoughtful changes can significantly enhance safety over time.
Practical Changes
One highly effective recommendation from our team at Defend Systems is equipping classrooms, offices, and meeting spaces with push-button locks that can be engaged from the inside. Under stress, fine motor skills deteriorate, and a complicated locking mechanism can become a barrier to safety. Push-button locks offer simplicity and speed—allowing people to secure a space in seconds. A tragic yet powerful example of their effectiveness comes from the Covenant School shooting in March of 2023. Teachers in classrooms targeted by the shooter used push-button locks to secure their doors instantly, buying critical time to move children to safety.
Some security enhancements require no financial investment at all. Implementing a clear and consistent visitor policy—such as designating a single entry point and conducting bag checks—can immediately elevate your security. Though it may feel inconvenient, these simple measures are invaluable for deterring threats.
Our Approach to Security Vulnerability Assessments
At Defend Systems, we have a process to ensure every SVA provides actionable insights tailored to your needs:
Assess: We begin with an on-site walkthrough and facility evaluation, identifying strengths and weaknesses in areas such as physical security, access control, building materials, perimeter barriers, video surveillance, and overall preparedness.
Customize: We compile our findings into a highly detailed report, summarizing vulnerabilities with supporting evidence and practical recommendations.
Present: Our team presents the report in a clear, easy-to-understand format, prioritizing actions to help you address risks step by step.
From homes to schools, businesses to music industry professionals, our clients span every type of environment. No matter the setting, in a dangerously developing world, knowing your vulnerabilities is the first step toward peace of mind.
False Alarms, Real Fear: The Growing Impact of School Shooting Hoaxes
In today’s world, students and educators face a dual threat: the growing epidemic of gun violence and the increasing prevalence of school shooting hoaxes. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, in 2024, there have been 199 incidents of gunfire on school grounds across the United States, resulting in 55 fatalities and 146 injuries. Additionally, from August 1 to September 14, 2024, Homeland Security agents in Tennessee investigated more than 300 school shooting threatsalone. These false alarms not only amplify fear and anxiety but also contribute to an already tense and challenging environment. While many threats have emerged from social media, others have been made through direct school communications, local hotlines, and various other channels. Each threat demands a comprehensive investigation by law enforcement, placing immense pressure on already stretched resources.
Advancements in technology have made some hoaxes disturbingly convincing. Artificial intelligence tools now enable hoaxers to create calls that include realistic gunshot sounds and screaming, making it harder to differentiate between real and false threats. Investigators also face difficulties tracing threats shared as images online since many detection tools struggle to process visual content. This delay in identifying the origin of threats not only consumes valuable time and resources but also increases the risk of missing a genuine emergency.
The Emotional Toll of Hoaxes
In October 2024, a hoax threat targeted The Covenant School in Nashville—a community still reeling from the tragic school shooting on March 27, 2023. Although the threat was swiftly deemed false by the Metro Nashville Police Department, the emotional aftermath was profound. Parents, students, and staff, already coping with lingering trauma, experience heightened anxiety and a renewed sense of vulnerability.
One Nashville parent recounted the impact of a hoax threat at their child’s school:
“As a parent, having a hoax happen at your child’s school is hard. Period. Not knowing if your child is safe…It took my feet out from under me as a parent. The rest of the day, I couldn’t be productive. I was done.”
For children, grappling with the motives behind such acts can be even more bewildering. The parent shared that their child asked, “Mommy, why would people want to do that? Why would they want to scare us?”
A major frustration for many parents lies in the timeliness and transparency of school communications during such crises. At one Nashville school that experienced a hoax threat this year, it took 42 minutes before parents were officially informed of the situation. By then, many had already heard rumors or received updates from other sources.
“In my heart, I believe these schools and these people are doing the best they can with what they know and what they have,” one parent explained. “But I think there’s potential for better.”
For families still trying to heal from the Covenant School tragedy, hoax threats feel like a cruel reminder of their deepest fears.
“For parents and kids who are trying to move on, to heal, to take steps forward after experiencing a school shooting, something like this takes your feet out from under you,” shared one parent. “It’s so unfair for those impacted by a shooting to also endure this.”
When asked about potential solutions, another parent emphasized the importance of holding perpetrators accountable:
“Seeing these individuals get punished to the fullest extent of the law would be a start.”
Hoax threats may not inflict physical harm, but their emotional and psychological impacts ripple through communities, deepening wounds that are already difficult to heal. For families still reeling from past tragedies, these false alarms act as yet another hurdle in their journey toward recovery.
Responding to the Crisis
To address this growing issue, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) formed the Rapid School Safety Team in September 2023, six months after the Covenant tragedy. This specialized unit, consisting of 14 officers, 3 sergeants, and 1 lieutenant, responds to school threats and works to validate their credibility. The team also conducts preparedness drills, such as dismissal and reunification exercises, helping educators establish clear, actionable plans for emergencies. Observing these drills allows officers to identify gaps in knowledge or execution and ensure that all staff are aligned with safety protocols.
One of the team’s key recommendations is equipping all school staff with radios for emergency communication. They also emphasize the importance of a central location within the school that can directly report to local law enforcement via radio. This system enables responding officers to join the communication channel en route and stay informed about developments as they occur.
Leveraging Technology for Safety
In 2024, MNPD adopted Live911 software to enhance its response capabilities. This innovative tool streams 911 calls directly to first responders, allowing them to hear the situation in real-time, assess background noise for context, and begin moving toward the incident before being officially dispatched. Geofencing ensures that officers only receive calls within their patrol area, streamlining response efforts. Early results, demonstrated by departments like Chula Vista Police in California, have shown significant improvements in response times and situational awareness.
While these advancements in policy and technology represent progress, there is still much work to be done. Physical safety measures are essential, but so is addressing the emotional and mental well-being of students and educators. A sustainable solution requires a multifaceted approach that combines proactive prevention, swift response, and comprehensive support systems. Only then can we create an environment where students and teachers can focus on what truly matters: learning and teaching.
In less than a week, our country experienced four separate active shooter attacks that left eight people dead, including two of the gunmen, and seven others injured. In a current news cycle that is dominated by politics, pandemics, and protests, these were but small blips on the radar of sensationalism that tends to be dominating our society.
On Tuesday, June 23rd, inside an Applebee’s restaurant located in St. Louis, a lone gunman opened fire on customers dining inside, striking three women, killing one. The suspect had been in the restaurant for up to forty minutes prior to the attack, pacing around and acting strangely, according to reports. He left the restaurant momentarily, then came back inside and began his rampage on the unsuspecting victims dining inside. He fled the scene but was taken into custody the next day. Currently, there is no known motive or connection between the shooter and the victims.
The second attack occurred on Friday, June 26th, at a Bunn-O-Matic warehouse facility in Springfield, Illinois. The suspect, an employee of the facility, shot and killed three co-workers in a matter of minutes. One of the victims was shot in the parking lot area while two others were shot and killed inside the facility. The suspect fled the scene prior to the arrival of law enforcement but was later found dead in his truck from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The third attack occurred on Saturday, June 27th, at a Walmart Distribution Center in Red Bluff, California. The suspect, a former employee who had been terminated in February, crashed his SUV into the facility, which then caught fire, and began his rampage utilizing an AR-type rifle. During his assault, one person was killed, and four others were injured. Responding officers arrived at the facility nearly ten minutes after the assault began and engaged the suspect in a gunfight and the suspect was mortally wounded during this exchange of gunfire. Due to the fire inside the facility, law enforcement’s ability to clear the remainder of the building was severely delayed until fire personnel could respond and extinguish the blaze.
The fourth attack also occurred on Saturday, June 27th, at a peaceful protest being conducted at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Kentucky. A lone gunman, seen here on video, took the firearm away from another protestor and began randomly firing at the crowd in the park. One person was struck and killed before other bystanders returned fire and struck the shooter in the leg which stopped the attack. The shooter was taken into custody a short time later with non-life-threatening injuries.
At this point, the motive of all four attackers remains unknown. At the end of the day, does that really matter? If we had known their motive prior to their attacks, would it have changed anything or stopped the attack from occurring? The answer is NO.
Mass casualty and active shooter attacks have become an unfortunate but consistent manifestation of evil in American society. While every organization should continue to focus on education of pre-attack indicators, it is incumbent on every organization, corporation, school, house of worship, and INDIVIDUAL, to get and remain prepared to respond to such an event. The only way to respond decisively under critical stress is through prior training. If your organization has not implemented such training and protocols, demand it. Many risk managers and security personnel unfortunately still have the “Oh yeah, we need to do that” or, even worse, the “it won’t happen here” approach. History has proven that these attacks can happen at any time and at ANY place.
Whether you are at work, the mall, a cookout, church, or simply out for a walk, being empowered with the knowledge and skills to survive any type of violent attack is an absolute life skill. Make it your responsibility to obtain these skills.
For more information about how we can help your organization, visit us at www.defendsystems.com or call us at 615-236-6484.
‘Stop the bleed’ training, security cameras and locks take root in companies with formerly open doors.
PHOTO: PETE RYAN BY RUTH SIMON AND CHIP CUTTER – SEPT. 22, 2019 6:24 PM ET
Many small-business owners are hardening their defenses as concerns about gun violence escalate.
Thirty-five percent of business owners say they have taken steps to protect against potential shootings or other workplace violence—or plan to do so soon, according to a monthly survey of nearly 800 small companies conducted for The Wall Street Journal by Vistage Worldwide Inc., an executive coaching organization.
Some companies are adding security cameras and replacing open-door policies with buzzers and locks, while others are signing up for advanced first-aid training or making tough choices about allowing weapons at work.
“One can say the chances of [a shooting] happening are slim, but we need to be prepared as much as we can,” said John Marten, president of Shepherd Color Co., a manufacturer of pigments for industrial uses with about 300 employees. “It’s always a balance to find the right place where you can function and live your life,” he added, “but be as safe as you can.”
The Cincinnati-based company has put electronic locks on doors that had been left wide-open during business hours and provided active-shooter training. The company also plans to install surveillance cameras on its 60-acre campus. Limiting access to manufacturing buildings, where material moves via forklift, can be particularly challenging, Mr. Marten said.
A half-dozen Shepherd employees will soon begin “Stop the Bleed” training as part of a national program to teach bystanders how to treat gunshot and other life-threatening wounds before first responders arrive.
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The concerns of small businesses vary widely, said Brink Fidler, president of security-training firm Defend Systems in Nashville, Tenn., which has conducted training programs at dental offices, manufacturers and assisted-living centers, among others. Some business owners worry about how to respond to a disgruntled former colleague, he said. Others fear a domestic dispute spilling into the workplace.
Ken Clark, chief executive of Chenal Family Therapy PLC of Little Rock, Ark., with about 110 employees, said therapists became more concerned about safety following the shooting last year of three mental health workers on the campus of a state-operated veterans facility in California. “When it’s a workplace similar to yours, all of the sudden you pay attention,” he said.
Figuring out the right steps is challenging for a small, fast-growing company that must weigh, for instance, whether to spend money on active-shooter training or something more business-focused like updating its website, Mr. Clark said. Chenal has installed cameras in patient waiting areas and near building doors in some offices, and hopes to soon roll them out in all 17 locations.
Chenal bars clients from bringing weapons to its offices, which have solid-core doors that swing out and are hard to kick in, but employees with appropriate training are free to carry a concealed weapon. Mr. Clark has wrestled with whether he should have a gun.
“I have made what I think is the educated choice: There is more risk in me owning a pistol than in me not having one in the office,” Mr. Clark said. “I am also the kid who gets his foot caught in bike spokes,” he added. “I would be the one shooting myself in the foot.”
Dr. Brian Eichenberg, the owner of a plastic-surgery center in Murrieta, Calif., obtained a concealed-weapons permit in 2015, after the San Bernardino shootings. He started locking the front door to his office the following year after he put up a billboard advertising breast augmentations that triggered a death threat.
“I have a .45-caliber handgun,” he said. “I hope I never use it anywhere.”
Even if small businesses can’t afford their own security staff, they can develop evacuation plans and safety protocols, said Eric Gandy, deputy chief of the Clearwater, Fla., police department, which has conducted about a dozen training presentations at small businesses in the past year.
At bigger companies, workers may be unaware of the presence of a shooter, particularly if they work on a separate floor, Chief Gandy said. Smaller companies, with workers located in proximity, may be able to more quickly identify a threat, but employees are likely to have less time to escape. Chief Gandy advises workers to think creatively, which could mean throwing a chair through a window to escape or using a fire extinguisher as an improvised weapon.
After a 2015 shooting at a nearby community college, Orenco Systems Inc., a manufacturer of wastewater collection and treatment systems in Sutherlin, Ore., signed up for a service that puts a panic button on workers’ smartphones to more quickly notify authorities, said Senior Vice President Jeff Ball. New employees receive active-shooter training when hired and a refresher every six months.
Potential gun violence isn’t the only safety challenge. KBM-Hogue, a contract office furniture dealer with about 120 employees, in May relocated its corporate headquarters to a less visible space after several incidents involving homeless people unsettled employees.
“We made the conscious decision to leave that space, to give up the visibility and move across the street … just to get everybody away from that feeling of being uncomfortable and unsafe,” said Stan Vuckovich, the company’s chief executive. “Safety shouldn’t factor into making a real-estate decision for your business. It factored in a big way for our business.”
In just one week, this country has suffered through three terrible active shooter attacks that took the lives of 34 people and injured countless others. While each attack has its own unique circumstances, the intent of the attackers was pretty much the same, to kill as many people as possible in a short amount of time. In two of these attacks, nearby police responded swiftly and engaged the gunman to stop the assault. In the third however, the gunman had completed his carnage upon police arrival and he simply gave himself up to officers a block away from the scene as they were searching for him.
The attack on the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, took the lives of three innocent victims ages 6, 13, and 25 and wounded 13 others. The shooter, wearing body armor and multiple spare magazines, gained access to the festival grounds by cutting through a perimeter fence allowing him to bypass any security screening process. Once inside the festival grounds, he opened fire on a large group of people near the food area without discrimination. Police officers at the festival responded immediately and engaged the gunman who took his own life during the ensuing firefight.
The mass shooting at the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, took the lives of 22 innocent people and wounded 24 others. The shooter began his rampage in the parking lot outside of Walmart where he began firing upon patrons as they were coming and going. He then entered the Walmart and continued his heinous attack as he hunted down his additional victims. El Paso police officers arrived on scene at 10:45 AM, six minutes after receiving the first 911 call, and began the process of searching for the gunman. The suspect was located a block away from the Walmart at 11:06 AM where he turned himself in to officers and was taken into custody without incident.
The active shooter attack on the streets of Dayton, Ohio, resulted in the deaths of 9 people and caused injury to 27 others. The attacker opened fire on a crowd of people on the streets and sidewalk outside of Ned Peppers, a popular establishment in the Oregon district. Police officers that were in the area, heard the gunfire and immediately responded to neutralize the threat and did so only 30 seconds after the attack began. The video showing the police response is an amazing tribute to the officers and their willingness to face evil head on and without hesitation.
If not for the close proximity of law enforcement as well as their deliberate response, the Dayton attack as well as the Garlic Festival attack would have been much worse. Both situations demonstrate how swiftly an amazing amount of damage can be done in very little time by a crazed gunman hell bent on mass murder. The Garlic Festival shooter fired 39 rounds before being stopped and also wore body armor along with multiple spare magazines. This makes it clear that he intended to do much more damage as well as his intent to engage with law enforcement. The Dayton attacker also wore body armor and possessed approximately 250 additional rounds of ammunition making it clear that he strived to do much more damage as well as anticipated being engaged by police. As evidenced by the surveillance footage, his intent was to enter a crowded bar and commit a heinous amount of carnage and would have been successful if not for the incredible acts of the Dayton police officers.
The shooting in El Paso further illustrates the fact that it does not take very long to kill and injure an incredible amount of people prior to law enforcement arrival. Thankfully in this case, the shooter stopped his killing spree on his own and surrendered to law enforcement but that did not occur until 27 minutes after police received the first 911 call. Swift engagement by law enforcement is clearly critical to mitigating the damage during these events.
We all know that the Dayton and Garlic Festival responses are not the norm as most of these attacks last anywhere from 6 to 12 minutes. An incredible amount of damage and killing can be completed in that time. As a nation, we remain focused on improving our law enforcement response to these events as well as exploring additional means of prevention and thwarting of these planned attacks, and we should. The incredibly overlooked space that needs improvement is in the middle, meaning empowering and training people what to do should they find themselves in one of these events. We need to continue our focus on all facets of combating this problem with more emphasis on response and recovery for EVERYONE.
Should you find yourself in the middle of one of these horrific attacks, would you know what to do and how best to respond? Would you have the skills and the tools to stop significant bleeding in a family member or a friend? Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best; “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” What’s your plan?
There is quite a bit of focus these days on the fact that corporations, churches, businesses and other organizations need to focus more time and resources on preparing for a critical incident such as an active shooter. I couldn’t agree more as I am very passionate about this fact. However, the single most critical organization that needs to focus A LOT of time and energy into critical incident and active shooter preparation is our schools. Whether it is a crazed gunman, an extremist terrorist, or the lunatic ex-spouse of a staff member, the threats to our schools are real and are not going away.
It was in April of this year when the ex-husband of Karen Brown, a special education teacher in San Bernardino, entered her classroom and gunned her down while she was teaching. He also struck two students in the process, killing one, before turning the gun on himself. In the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre, the shooter wandered the school executing victims for 11 minutes before being encountered by the police and taking his own life. All of his victims were shot between 3 and 11 times EACH. These are two starkly different incidents with very different shooters behind the gun. Their motives and intended targets in both incidents were vastly different yet the result was still the same. Innocent lives were taken by crazed gunmen on school grounds and the existing security policies and measures failed.
Outside of the existing potential threats previously mentioned, our schools have to begin considering that they qualify as both a soft target and a high value target to terrorist organizations. Both terrorists and active shooters alike seek maximum carnage with minimum resistance and our schools would traditionally provide both to these deranged individuals. Although police response times to active shooter events have improved greatly, it could still be the most important three minutes of your life.
HERE ARE FIVE CRUCIAL THINGS EVERY SCHOOL SHOULD BE DOING TO IMPROVE THEIR SECURITY.
Consistently secure all buildings. This may seem simple and elementary but it can be a game changer. One door left unlocked and unattended could make a life a death difference. In the Columbine High School shooting, not a single locked door was breached by the shooters. In the San Bernardino incident, the gunman attempted to enter a side door where he would go unnoticed but it was locked and he was forced to enter the main entrance. Although their security policy still failed, the incident could have been much worse had he entered undetected. Even on the most beautiful of days, keep all classroom and building doors secured and locked. You are sending a message to anyone seeking to infiltrate your campus.
Conduct regular and visible patrols. This task should be shared by staff and faculty so that everyone participates in proactively creating a secure environment. Furthermore, the more personnel involved, the better. This also sends a message to any potential intruders that you have multiple people involved in securing your campus and that they will meet resistance. If ANY unknown or suspicious person is identified on campus or in a building, then you MUST confront them. Confront them IMMEDIATELY and ASSERTIVELY and preferably in pairs if the personnel is available. When any criminal is seeking a victim, they are looking for just that, a victim. Being assertive and not avoiding the situation communicates clearly that your campus is not a soft target.
Get a threat assessment and security evaluation done for your particular campus. Every school building and campus is different and will have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to achieving physical security. There are also several ways to advantageously exploit certain features of particular buildings and construction materials during a critical incident. Hiring a professional to evaluate your facility can make all the difference when it comes to critical incidents.
Have a plan. This also sounds elementary and obvious but I have been astounded at the number of school personnel I have spoken with that don’t have a real plan. Unfortunately today our schools face multiple threats from both nature and man and having specific plans for those events and your particular campus are extremely important.
Waiting for the School Resource Officer to handle the situation is NOT a plan. Although SROs are an outstanding resource for schools, they cannot be everywhere all of the time. Even if your campus is small and it only takes one minute for the SRO to get anywhere on campus, one minute is an eternity during an active shooter event. Every school, campus, and faculty composition is different so having a customized plan creates an outstanding advantage when seconds count.
Practice and train frequently. When in danger, the human brain goes directly into survival mode. We cannot reason, our only instinct is to survive. When we do this, we have one of three reactions, fight, flight or freeze. These are primitive instincts that have kept our species alive for thousands of years, but they are just that: primitive. Our survival instincts can be programmed to change the way we respond under critical stress levels. The ONLY way to do this is through training and repetition. During any critical incident most people will have some sort of reaction, but prior training allows you to RESPOND.
To learn more about obtaining a security evaluation, training for a critical incident, or strengthening the security of your school or campus, please visit our website at www.defendsystems.com or give us a call at 615-236-6484.
