Preventing criminal activity in schools : News : UpperMichigansSource.com

Preventing criminal activity in schools

Posted: 12.01.2010 at 4:44 PM

Although U.P. police officers have a plan of attack for a situation like the one in Marinette they say taking preventative measures is crucial

MARQUETTE -- It happened Monday.

Fifteen-year-old Samuel Hengel, armed with two handguns and a duffel bag of ammo, took his Social Studies class at Marinette High School hostage. Hengel eventually shot himself but did not injure any other students or faculty.

"Just because you're in a metro area doesn't mean it's more app to happen,” said Lt. Don Brown of the State Police Homeland Security Division. “There's places in Minnesota, down in Pennsylvania, small, real small, small areas that are probably more vulnerable."

U.P. officers say they have a plan of attack if an event like this one were to happen again, but their response time would vary depending on the location of the school.

"In Escanaba, in five minutes, you can get what, four or five police officers there maybe. That's best case scenario and that not all arriving at the same time, and they have to assemble a plan somewhat,” Brown said. “They do have some kind of a plan, but I’m talking about response time from the time they get to the call to the time they're in the school, actually defending it; it's probably going to be 10 minutes."

But a lot can happen in 10 minutes, therefore, preventing these kinds of situations is key. Officers say the best way to avoid criminal activity at a school is to have police vehicles and officers visible on school grounds throughout the school year.

That's one of Craig Marker's jobs as a Youth Services Officer at Marquette City Police. He says the practice works.

"It's always hard to guess on what crime you prevented, but I built a rapport with many students and I think that's helpful,” said Marker. “Students I’ve built a rapport with have come to me with different information from time to time that has helped me out on investigations."

Marker’s advice for parents: talk with your children, know their friends, and know their activities during and after school. It may be the best way to avoid a school shooting or a hostage situation in the future.