CJS 6300 Discussion

Please respond to Michael, and Destiny about their post in 2 different paragraphs as if you were me. Not in 3rd person. Minimum 100 words each paragraph.
Michael Kenny
For this week’s discussion, I am going to focus on providing guidance on making a school safer through utilization of CPTED. The first thing that I would ask the school district to consider, is the installation of cameras all throughout the facility. In my experience, I have found that individuals tend to behave better knowing that the entire school is under constant video monitoring.
The pdf from our week 4 reading “CPTED 101: The Fundamentals for Schools,” provides excellent information on how to make new and existing schools safer through CPTED by offering, “three simple concepts: surveillance, access control, and territoriality.” These three concepts would be my next focus in presenting resolutions to their safety concerns for the school.
Surveillance refers to the ability of the school personnel to see throughout their school. Can they see who is coming or going? Are there large brick walls that block “hiding spots” or restrict ability for staff to see who is sneaking in or out of the building? If so, those walls should be replaced with windows or slotted gates that provide visibility. Large or overgrown trees and shrubs should be cleared and cut back as well to provide easy viewing inside and around the building. Any areas that may be good hiding spots throughout the building should be removed entirely or, “install convex mirrors to provide visibility around corners” (CPTED 101.pdf). Surveillance also encompasses the lighting throughout the school. There are mixed opinions on wether or not a school should remain well-lit after hours, with some finding that a dark, unlit property provides a deterrence. I would personally suggest that the school be dark after hours and note, “School resource officers have found that good lighting made schools ideal hangouts after hours, while darkness discouraged kids from congregating” (CPTED 101.pdf).
I would then advise the school district that access control is an absolute must for their school. All visitors should be directed to a single entrance that can be effectively monitored. All other entrances, to include windows, should be reconfigured, “so that they automatically lock when closed and only serve as emergency exits” (CPTED 101.pdf).
An important factor to consider in designing the safety for a school is the necessity to call a lockdown in the event of emergencies, such as active shooter incidents. For this reason, it is very critical that access into the building is reduced to a single point of entry, with the ability for staff to see who is approaching lock down the school with a push of a button if necessary. Clear line of sight from the main office would provide that time and ability to see any threat, and installation of an auto-lock feature and public address system would provide sufficient ability to lock the entrance and signal a lock-down.
Lastly, I would advise that territoriality be addressed. This is the process of establishing clear messaging of how the school is managed as well as clearly established boundaries around the property that let someone know they are on school grounds. This can be accomplished through well groomed hedges that line the property and signs that note “no trespassing on school property” after a certain time.
In closing, I would advise that providing proper surveillance, access control, and territoriality will will most certainly create a safer environment to the school.

Molinari, J. Week 4 reading. (2021, June 15( CPTED 101: Crime Prevention through Environmental Design - The Fundamentals for Schools. Northeastern University
Destiny Hamilton
When thinking about the violence and trying to ensure that schools are secure and safe, it takes careful planning and time to ensure top notch work to the last detail. Before the pandemic, students faced violence and the schools (some) really did not address the issue appropriately. The violence students faced were bullying, fighting,and cyber bullying. The way many schools were designed, with stairwells, sometimes students could easily walk into a bully who was standing around the corner and be attacked. Others were bold enough to push or forcefully hit the student causing her to fall and receive serious injuries. Fighting takes place in open and closed areas, preferably in closed areas such locker rooms or in the gym after classes were over for the day. Cyber bullying has been a problem that encouraged bullying and fighting. While in school bullies were able to still use the iPads, computers, and even their cell phones to harass and bully others. So with this knowledge, policies can be in place and enforced for those students who use the schools property to bully and/or harass students. Using the IP address for the computer or iPad, it can be traced to the student. Once identification is known, the device should be confiscated and the student expelled. Depending on the severity of the bullying or harassment, other charges can be given because the police can be called in. Many school districts look at this type of behavior when students are not in school as well.
It would be recommended to the board and others to revamp the stairwells by tearing down the walls and have open stairs without the walls. The only thing would be the handrails which leaves all open space where everything can be seen. This would be an ideal to plan for building new schools. Another factor to improve or create would be surveillance cameras at everydoor entrance. There should the same type of cameras at the doors inside the gym, cafeteria, even at the outside of these places. To respect the privacy of students cameras would not be inside the bathrooms or locker rooms. However there needs to be some at the entrances. While there are entrances around the schools to be used as fire escapes these doors should be the type that have silent alarm when it is opened or someone props it open for unlawful entrance or exit. The cameras would have the person on camera to help identify the person or persons. There needs to be one entrance to go in and out of the school. Cameras would be in place at each entrance along with metal detectors to pass through. In the office, any person who will be moving through the school will have to get a pass with his or her picture on the pass which is taken after signing in. This is to be worn on the clothing to be seen and identified as having permission to be going to a designated class or area. These are just some thoughts as to how our schools can be made safer.