August 28, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
The Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association and the Tennessee Association of Police Chiefs conducted a School Violence and Safety Summit in Franklin TN. Thursday.
Sheriff Patrick Ray and Alexandria Police Chief Chris Russell attended the Summit.
Keynote speakers included Ms. Michele Gay, a parent whose child was killed in the Sandy Hook School shooting and founder of Safe and Sound Schools, Mr. Mo Canady who is the Executive Director of the National Association of School Resource Officers NASRO, and Mr. Rob Chapman of the Department of Justice COPS Office.
This Summit was aimed at different ways to define school crime, safety assessments, campus, building and classroom security, anonymous child reporting systems, coordination with first responders, behavior threat assessments and management, school base law enforcement, mental health resources, school drills, and social media monitoring among other things.
The Summit also had a round table discussion for Sheriffs and Police Chiefs where security problems at schools, possible new school crime laws, extra funding for safer schools and other topics were addressed to carry to the Tennessee General Assembly for help.
There are five schools located in DeKalb County. Four are located in the city limits of Smithville and one is located in Liberty.
The Alexandria Police Department assists the Sheriff’s Department with mutual aid at DeKalb West School in Liberty for a possible quicker response time.