Crimes Against Children 12-18-14

Spirit Lake Woman Sentenced for Child Abuse or Neglect

Sacramento Pimp Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Minor

Key Largo Man Arraigned on Charges of Sex Trafficking of Minors

Hannibal Man Sentenced on Federal Child Pornography Charges

Trucker Convicted of Kidnapping and Interstate Domestic Violence

West Milford Township Man Charged with Distributing Sexually Explicit Images of Children

Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography Conviction

Four Men Indicted on Charges in 2011 Kidnapping of Mother and Teenage Son in the Philippines

Troy Man Sentenced to Five Years for Receiving Child Pornography

Former Carrollton, Texas Man Who Worked as a Long-Haul Truck Driver Faces Up to 20 Years in Federal Prison on Child Pornography Conviction

Palmer Man Sentenced to 50 Years’ Imprisonment for Sexually Exploiting Children

Crimes Against Children Digest 12-16-14

Spartanburg Man Receives 88 Months for Child Pornography Possession

Former University Professor Sentenced to Prison for Engaging in Sexual Conduct with a Minor

Alexandria Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Child

Venezuelan Man Admits Making Threatening Calls to Newtown Residents After School Shooting Tragedy

Alleged Gang Members and Associates Indicted in Cross-Country Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

Albuquerque Man Arraigned on Federal Distribution of Child Pornography Charge

St. Petersburg Man Sentenced to Nine Years for Child Pornography Offenses

Akron Man Sentenced to Nearly 22 Years in Prison for Child Enticement

Rhode Island Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Child Sex Trafficking

West Milford Township Man Charged with Distributing Sexually Explicit Images of Children

Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography Conviction

Four Men Indicted on Charges in 2011 Kidnapping of Mother and Teenage Son in the Philippines

Crimes against Children Digest 12-4-14

Rochester Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

East St. Louis Resident Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

Monmouth County Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Images of Child Sexual Abuse

Washington County Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

Jackson Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking by Force

Melbourne Man Pleads Guilty to Producing of Child Pornography

Trio Charged with Sex Trafficking

Troy Man Sentenced to Five Years for Receiving Child Pornography

Former Carrollton, Texas Man Who Worked as a Long-Haul Truck Driver Faces Up to 20 Years in Federal Prison on Child Pornography Conviction

Palmer Man Sentenced to 50 Years’ Imprisonment for Sexually Exploiting Children

Crimes agains Children Digest 11-3-14

Philadelphia Woman Charged with Exploiting 6-Year-Old and Infant

Memphis Resident Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Minor

Queens Man Arrested for Sexually Abusing Three Girls at Fort Hamilton Military Base

Clearwater Man Sentenced to 90 Years for Production of Child Pornography

Jemez Pueblo Man Sentenced to Eight Years for Federal Child Sexual Abuse Conviction

James Glen Murphy, Jr. Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

Registered Sex Offender Arrested, Charged with Possession of Child Pornography

Two Alleged Pimps Facing Federal Indictment for Kidnapping and Sex Trafficking of a Child

Brattleboro Man Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography Offense

Kansas City Man Admits Possessing Thousands of Images of Child Pornography in Guilty Plea

Crimes against Children Digest 9-9-14

Cuyahoga Falls Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Trying to Buy a Child 

Duluth Man Sentenced for Producing Child Pornography  

Neopit Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Sexual Abuse of a Child 

Philadelphia Sex Trafficker Gets 22 Year Prison Sentence 

Convicted Killer Indicted for Three Rapes 

Eagle Butte Man Sentenced for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor 

Antelope Valley Man Sentenced to Nearly 21 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography Related to Molestation of Relative 

Highland Park School Board Member Pleads Guilty to Conversion of School Funds and Filing False Income Tax Return 

Lubbock Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offense 

Fourth Grade Teacher Sentenced to 10 Years for Enticing and Coercing a 15-Year-Old Girl During Sexually Explicit Online Chats         

A Special Day

In 2004, I was in my second year as a middle school assistant principal.  I had been given all responsibility for the safety of the school of over 800 students.  We did monthly fire drills initiated by me.  Teachers lined their students up, walked them outside, then waited for the all clear to return to their rooms.  My military background had created a voice inside me that screamed that more could be done.

In the fall of 2004 I was provided an opportunity to attend the Indiana Department of Education's School Safety Specialist Academy, to work on obtaining a certification as an Indiana School Safety Specialist.  For two days I listened to national-level experts like Bernie James and Dave Grossman speak on different aspects of school safety.  Then Michael Dorn took to the stage for a general session on safety plans, ending with his Weakfish presentation.  Bernie James is a top-notch expert on school safety law.  Dave Grossman is a world-class expert on the psychology of killing and combat.  Yet, I found Mike's presentation to be everything I was looking for.  Sound, thorough preparedness, response and recovery concepts, a realistic approach to implementation, and through it all, a passion for protecting the innocent that called out to why I joined the Army, and why I got into education.

I left that training overwhelmed with the amount of new information I'd been given.  I had a sheath of notes on school safety law, two books to read; On Killing and On Combat, and a structure for applying all of this new knowledge in a realistic, thorough way.

Over the years, I have learned a lot about school safety.  Since 2004 I have been applying that knowledge to serve the children and staff of Southern Hancock Schools.  Mike taught me how to create safety plans unique to each school, plans that followed best practices.  He taught me to make drills more realistic, and that the responsibility for the safety of school children was not my responsibility alone, but of all adults in the building.  He taught me how to conduct thorough safety and security audits, and that the best ways to make schools safer required little money, just an alteration of my mindset.  Mike taught me that properly conducted school safety efforts could raise student achievement, and could help make schools feel like warm, wonderful places to learn.

As time wore on, Mike took time out from his very hectic schedule to mentor me on becoming better at what I do.  He coached me on seeing the bigger picture, while still maintaining a focus on the details.  He pushed me to improve my writing, resulting in the fulfillment of a life-long dream; becoming a published author.  Somewhere along the way, he became a friend.

I have not had many true friends in my life.  Mike Schill was a teacher at a Catholic school at which I taught.  He died many years ago from mesothelioma.  George Emmick was an Army buddy of mine.  He was like a brother to me, and was the godfather of both of my daughters.  He died a few years ago from complications of a degenerative neuropathic disease.  My wife Robin is my best friend, having survived contact with me for 25 glorious years.

I have come to appreciate true friendship, and Mike is a true friend.  For all he has done for me, he has never asked anything of me except to continue to strive to be better, so that I can better serve others.  My life has become distinctly better for having known him, and his impact on the field of school safety is real and widespread.  He is a true gentleman, and frequently shakes his head at my oft-times raw approach to dealing with various issues in life. He has had a true world-wide impact on school safety,

We can ask for nothing more from life than to leave it a better place than when we entered it.  Mike has done that, in spades.

For all you've done, Mike, I thank you.

Oh, and Happy Birthday!  May you have many more years of serving the children of this great country!

Crimes against Children Digest 9-8-14

El Paso County Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for the Sexual Exploitation of Children

Highland Resident Sentenced for Transportation and Possession of Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct

Former Area Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking Two Minors and an Adult Victim at Southwest Suburban Motels

Passaic County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Images of Child Sexual Abuse

Fugitive Davon Wallace Wanted on Federal Warrant in Murder of 3-Year-Old Girl

Plattsburgh Man Arrested for Production of Child Pornography

Tehachapi Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

Greece Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Possession of Child Pornography

Philadelphia Sex Trafficker Gets 22 Year Prison Sentence

Convicted Killer Indicted for Three Rapes       

School Safety Training - The Hidden Cost

School Safety Training

Michael Dorn has written an excellent blog on how certain forms of school safety training is costing some school districts a lot of money. In the state of Iowa, one insurance company has received numerous Workman's Compensation claims of nearly $300,000 in the last year and a half.  That's a rate of $200,000 a year, and do not count any follow-up visits, physical therapy, surgeries or other medical expenses for these injuries.  Nor does the figure count costs associated with lost work time, substitutes and other administrative costs.

School Safety Training Analysis

Any time there is a process that causes this many injuries, the first question that should come to mind is, what is being done wrong?  On one hand, it would seem that the training is being conducted improperly, as participants are incurring injuries. On the other hand, what are the schools doing to ensure the safety of their personnel during this training?

Schools cannot assume that trainers and/or consultants know what they are doing.  They should take steps to monitor the training being given, and should stop any practice that could lead to injury.  A good training company will enumerate possible risks, and provide steps to mitigate against accidents and injury.

This applies even when law enforcement officers are conducting the training.  There are risks in their training they accept because of their job description, and because of the level of training and mental and physical conditioning they have acquired that educators do not have.  Therefore educators should have more protection during training, not less.

Just as it is not prudent to jump right into a full-scale exercise, it is not prudent to jump right into Close Quarter Combat (CQC) training.  With this many people being injured, both the training and the schools should look at how they are doing things.

Preparing for Active Shooters, a small likelihood versus other risks to schools, does not require serious injury to accomplish.

School Shooting Threat in Franklin, OH

School Shooting Threat

A female student at Franklin Senior High School in Franklin, OH, was arrested after allegedly threatening a mass shooting at her school, causing her classmates to panic.  The 15-year old reportedly told several classmates that she wanted to do a mass school shooting and end it with a "suicide by cop".

No weapons were found on campus, and the student is facing charges of inducing panic.  Since it happened on school grounds, it is being treated as a felony.  An audio of the 911 call can be found HERE.

School Shooting Threat Analysis

From 1998 to 2012, there were 22 Active Shooter Incidents in US K12 schools (Satterly, 2014). This is using the DHS definition of an Active Shooter, “An Active Shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms(s) and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims” (DHS, 2013).  This averages out to approximately 1.47 incidents a year.

While these are tragic incidents, we need to maintain a proper perspective.  More incidents are prevented than actually occur.  Thankfully, this is one of those times where the good guys prevented something bad from happening.  In fact, it is a good thing that this young lady may now get the help she needs.

It would seem that Franklin Senior High School has developed the kind of school climate in which students feel comfortable with telling a staff member about a serious situation.  The school appears to have acted swiftly and correctly, and a possible tragedy was averted.

So what do we learn from this?  The cheapest, best way to prevent tragedy is to invest time in developing a rapport with your students, whether you are a principal, teacher, or SRO.  It is through that rapport that trust is built, and from that trust comes the capability for students to come forward with critical information in a timely manner. 

The students who came forward are to be commended, as is the school staff who quickly alerted the police, who then acted quickly to investigate, arresting the student before she could leave school.

This is the goal.  1.47 Active Shooter Incidents a year is 1.47 incidents too much.

Crimes against Children 8-25-14

Spartanburg Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

Reading Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

Former Plainfield Math Teacher Guilty of Child Molestation
 
Middlesex County Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Production, Distribution of Child Sex Abuse Images

Baltimore Man Sentenced to More Than 24 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography and Attempting to Entice a Minor to Have Sex

FBI Seeking Public Assistance in the Investigation of an International Teacher Suspected of Molesting Children Abroad

Toledo Woman Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Involving a Minor

Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography Charges

Former University of Virginia Dean Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

Fishers Man Arrested on Bestiality, Child Exploitation Charges

A School Field Trip Gone Wrong

School Field Trip

A teacher in Cusco, Peru, took her class on a field trip to the Monaco Circus.  While there she volunteered to participate in a lion act, mainly to show her class that the lion was not aggressive.

The act started out well, but suddenly the lion jumped off of a small ladder and bit the teacher around the neck and dragged her around the enclosure.  The lion tamer was able to get the lion to release the teacher, who stood up afterwards.

The teacher suffered no head wounds, but may need surgery on her neck.

School Field Trip Analysis

An incident like this is a school's nightmare.  An innocent trip turned into disaster because of an unforeseen situation.

This is a great time to review your safety protocols for field trips. Ask yourself a few questions:
1) How will your group communicate with the school in an emergency?
2) What procedures do you have spelled out for incidents while on the school bus heading to and from the destination?
3) Have you spelled out, in writing, the supervisory expectations of the school?
4) Do all the adults on the trip know of any special medical considerations?  Epi-pens, insulin, etc.?
5) Are students instructed to stay in groups?
6) What procedures do you have in place to maintain 100% accountability?
7) What are the curricular goals for the trip?  Will any activity during the trip be in support of these goals?

There are others that each school can develop.  Like other aspects of school safety, prior planning and preparation can reduce the likelihood of something happening, and help the adults in charge be better prepared if something does happen.

Enjoy your trips!

School Safety Specialists - Part of the Thin Blue Line?

Thin Blue Line

The Thin Blue Line refers to the fraternity of police officers.  They stand between order and chaos, protecting the public from danger.  Should School Safety Specialists be considered part of the Thin Blue Line?  This is not asked to disrespect anyone in law enforcement, but is actually in honor of them.  While there are numerous law enforcement officers that serve in schools, many more are educators, which begs the question.

In reference to my last blog, law enforcement officers have to meet certain requirements to become a sworn law enforcement officer.  There are training requirements, as well as other statutory requirements.  Becoming a School Resource Officer (SRO), requires specialized training, and is an additional area of certification.  While School Safety Specialists do not yet have similar characteristics in regards to training and statutory requirements, they do protect a precious, and specialized population.

I should point out that the state of Indiana does certify School Safety Specialists, under statutory requirements.  However, I have to also acknowledge that the certification only requires the completion of training established by the Indiana Department of Education, but has no assessment afterwards, therefore the amount of knowledge retained by individuals is unknown.  With that being said, the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy (ISSSA) is the first of its kind, and is the standard used by other states in their school safety training efforts.  Dave Woodward, Program Director for the ISSSA, is to be commended for his excellent work in making this a globally recognized institution.

More and more schools are placing qualified, passionate people in these important positions, even as other schools are just handing the job to the newest school administrator.  Until schools treat the position of School Safety Specialist as the specialized position it is, we will continue to be distant cousins to the Thin Blue Line, and not brothers and sisters.

It is my hope this happens in my lifetime.

Thoughts?

Just What is a School Safety Expert?

School Safety Expert

A dictionary will tell you that an expert is, "A person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area." That leads to the meaning of authoritative, "Able to be trusted as being accurate or true; reliable," and the meaning of comprehensive, "Complete; including all or nearly all elements or aspects of something."

Putting all that together, a school safety expert is one who has comprehensive knowledge of or skill in the area school safety, and is able to be trusted as accurate, true and reliable.

School Safety

So now that we know what an expert is, what is school safety?  Michael Dorn says, "School safety is a process of education being able to continue without disruption, without harm, without danger. It's basically the best way to get the most out of the learning process. It's actually the foundation for an effective learning environment." Here Michael gives us the goal of school safety.

In the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans, we find that school safety is providing a safe and healthy learning environment for public and nonpublic schools from threats and hazards. Threats are man-made, and hazards are natural, so now we get a clearer picture of school safety.

Threats and Hazards

Man-made threats include: Assaults, bullying, victimization, theft, classroom disorder, fights, robbery, use of weapons, sexual attacks and violent crime.  Comprehensive knowledge of threats includes knowing their causes, as well as strategies to prevent, mitigate, respond and recover from them.  A school safety expert will have skills and knowledge of threat assessment, crime, suicide prevention, weapons and bullying. 

FEMA defines a hazard as, "Anything that can cause loss or damage to a school or its occupants." These can include natural disasters, fire hazards and accident hazards.  A school safety expert will have skills and knowledge of risk assessment, mitigation and prevention, as well as current laws, regulations and codes relating to the physical facility.

There will come a time where school safety will evolve as a true profession, with a standard set of knowledge and skills.  A profession that provides licensing or certification based on a knowledge set learned in a formal setting.

But before that happens, we have to define what it is. 

What do you think?

Crimes against Children Digest 8-22-14

Portage Man Sentenced to 96 Months for Receiving Child Pornography 

Gulfport Man Arrested for Engaging in Sexual Activity with Minors  

United States Attorney’s Office Announces Arrest of Anderson Man in Child Pornography Case 

Newark Man Charged with Additional Counts of Producing Child Pornography for Recording His Sexual Abuse of Girl 

Cypress Man Convicted of Distributing Child Pornography 

Parkville Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Minor 

Merrimack Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offense 

Former Belfair Resident Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing, Distributing, and Possessing Child Pornography      

Waterbury Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography

Pasco County School Employee Arrested on Child Pornography Charges