Countering Terrorism and School Mass Shootings in Our

Countering Terrorism and School Mass Shootings in Our Schools Institute for Criminal Justice Studies ©This TCLEOSE approved Crime Prevention Curriculum is the property of CSCS-ICJS Counter-Terrorism (2008)

DISCLAIMER: DISCLAIMER The goal of this presentation is not to predict future school related terrorism or terroristic events; rather to increase awareness and help to identify skills, and actions needed to prevent, deter and/or negate the impact and recover from such an incident or event should one occur. Neither is it designed to make anyone an expert on terrorism but merely to stimulate vigilance and a conscious prevention posture. There are no absolutes or guarantees in Crime Prevention that can or will provide 100% protection against any criminal activity.

KNOW YOUR THREAT Sun Tzu author of the “Art of War” was the first to recognize the importance of positioning in strategy and that position is affected both by objective conditions in the physical environment and the subjective opinions of competitive actors in that environment. He taught that strategy was not planning in the sense of working through a to-do list, but rather that it requires quick and appropriate responses to changing conditions.

Sun Tzu So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, yourself you will fight without danger in battles. If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose. If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.

Definitions of Terrorism Department of State: “Premeditated, politically motivated violence politically perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. ”

Definitions of Terrorism Department of Defense: “The calculated use of violence or threat calculated violence of violence in order to inculcate fear, fear intended to coerce or intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological. ”

Definitions of Terrorism There is no single definition of terrorism. The FBI defines terrorism as, "the terrorism unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a Government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. "

WHO OR WHAT IS A “TERRORIST”? • Criminals • Crazies (Mentally challenged) • Crusaders

TERRORIST WATCH LIST

Ayman al- Zawahiri Ayman al - Zawahiri, an eye surgeon who helped found the Egyptian Islamic Jihad militant group, is often referred to as Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man and the chief ideologue of al-Qaeda. He is believed by some experts to have been the "operational brains" behind the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States. Zawahiri's wife and children were reportedly killed in a US air strike in Afghanistan.

Steve Kazmierczak Northern Illinois Univ. Steve Kazmierczak flipped out and, at about 3 in the afternoon on the 14 th of February, 2008, took a 12 gauge shotgun, a. 22 pistol, a 9 mm pistol and a. 45 Glock semi-automatic handgun into a geology lecture at Northern Illinois University? He described himself as being interested in social justice, corrections, political violence and peace. He took two courses in Arabic and a course called ""Politics of the Middle East“. He shot twenty-four students and six of those students were killed. Dekalb Illinois

Seung-Hui Cho Virginia Tech Seung-Hui Cho was a student at Virginia Tech who committed mass murder of 32 people and wounded 25 others in the shooting rampage which has come to be known as the April 16 th, 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre. Cho committed suicide after law enforcement officers breached the doors of the building where he had killed and injured the majority of his victims. Blacksburg Virginia

WHY WOULD A TERRORIST TARGET A SCHOOL? • May 1977: 1977 Bovendsmille, Holland. A group of Moluccan Terrorist took more than 100 students hostage in an elementary school in Bovendsmille Holland. Dutch Royal Marines performed a highly successful tactical rescue freeing all hostages and capturing all terrorist without firing a shot. INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

On May 23, 1977 a train hijack takes place close to the village of De Punt in the Drenthe province, northeast part of the Netherlands. Nine armed Moluccans pulled the emergency brake around 9 AM and took about 50 people as hostages. The hijacking lasted for 482 hours (20 days); two hostages and six hijackers were killed.

WHY WOULD A TERRORIST TARGET A SCHOOL? May 1986: 1986 Cokeville, Wyoming. David and Doris Young (both of whom held extremist views and wished to create a brave new world) took 167 teachers and students hostage in an elementary school using firearms and explosives. The David shot a teacher in the back and accidentally detonating the explosives killing his wife (Doris) and injured some of the hostages. DOMESTIC TERRORISM

International Terrorism February 26 th, 1993: 1993 12: 17 pm New York City. A terrorist cell living within the United States detonated a bomb in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in an Center attempt to collapse both towers. A deliberate and planned attack – strike at the symbol of American business in downtown New York City. Six people were killed and more than 1000 were injured (mass casualty scene). Schools in immediate vicinity were effected.

International Terrorism On February 26 th, 1993 at 12: 17 PM, a Ryder truck filled with 1, 500 pounds (680 kg) of explosives was planted by Ramzi Yousef and detonated in the underground Yousef garage of the North Tower, opening a 100 foot (30 m) hole through 5 sublevels of concrete.

Domestic Terrorism April 19 th, 1995: 1995 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A rental truck packed with highly volatile explosives was detonated by Timothy Mc. Veigh. This explosion took out half of the structure of the Murray Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 168 people were killed including children. It was called “Terror in the Heartland” by the media.

Oklahoma City Bombing Many still have image of this picture, some 13 -years later!

TIMOTHY James Mc. Veigh A decorated United States Army veteran and security guard who bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. His act, which claimed 168 lives, and injured 850 others was the deadliest event of domestic terrorism in the U. S. and the deadliest act of terrorism within United States borders until the September 11, 2001 attacks.

• March 1998: 1998 American school in Amman Jordan. Rocked by explosion by terrorist who were upset by U. S. conflict with Iraq over UN arms inspection. • August 1999: 1999 Los Angeles, California. Jewish Community Center (Day Care) anti. Semitic (Neo Nazi) gunman opened fire inside day care center killed several children

September 11 th, 2001: 2001 New York City. Both Towers were hit by Al Qaeda suicide bombers flying U. S. based air planes

• October 7 th, 2002: 2002 Bowie, Maryland. D. C. Sniper Lee Boyd Malvo killed a 13 -year old boy as he arrived at Benjamin Tasker MS. Malvo and John Allen Mohammed killed 16 people before their killing spree ended.

September 2004: 2004 Belsan, Russia.

“SOFT-TARGETS”. • Schools are very powerful – attention getting symbolic targets. • Our children are our country’s “Most Precious Natural Resource”. Resource • School can create a mass casualty event, with large numbers of young children as victims

“SOFT-TARGETS” Continued • Terrorist know that attacks on innocent children childre will gain maximum media coverage. • An attack on a school is a strike at the “HEART of AMERICA”.

TERRORIST MOTIVATIONS TO ATTACK SCHOOLS: • Schools and school buses and school events are relative soft targets. • Perceived as to time-consuming and costly to defend against. • Schools typically do not have the level of physical security or force protection

• If we loose a child it is very emotional and devastating to our lives. • Attacking our schools make people feel an inability to protect the children. • Humiliate government. • Creates “FEAR” and causes panic

A crisis at a school instantly evokes strong emotional parental response.

How many times has your school initiated a full scale rehearsal of your Emergency Operations Plan in the last two years?

TERRORIST TRAIN and REHEARSE CONSISTENTLY.

TAKE A 10 -MINUTE BREAK

Luke Woodham October 1, 1997 Shooting Pearl HS HS Woodham (16 -year old) killed his mother and drove her car to his high school. Wearing a long trench coat he made no attempt to hide his rifle. He entered the school, shot Dew and Menefee, both girls died. Woodham went on to wound 7 others before Joel Myrick, the assistant principal, retrieved a. 45 pistol from the glove compartment of his truck and subdued Woodham while he was trying to drive off campus. Woodham had been planning to drive to the Pearl Middle School to continue killing; Myrick's intervention prevented this from Pearl Mississippi happening.

Johnson and Golden th March 24 , 1998 Shooting Westside MS MS Andrew Golden (age 11) set off the fire alarm while Mitchell Johnson (age 13) took the weapons to the woods near the school. Golden then ran back to the woods where Johnson had taken the weapons. When children and teachers came out of the school, the two boys opened fire. 13 students and two teachers were hit; Five of the victims died. Afterwards, Golden and Johnson attempted to run back to the van and escape, but were apprehended by police. They evidently planned to run away, as they had food, sleeping bags and survival gear in their van. Jonesboro Arkansas

Klebold and Harris April 20 th, 1999 Shooting Columbine HS HS Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris embarked on a shooting rampage, killing 12 students and a teacher, as well as wounding 23 others, before committing suicide. It is the third deadliest school killing in U. S. history, after the 1927 Bath school disaster, and the 1966 University of Texas – Austin massacre by Whitman, and is the deadliest high school shooting in U. S. to date. Columbine Colorado

Thomas “T. J. ” Solomon May 20 th, 1999 Shooting Heritage HS HS Solomon, a 15 -year-old sophomore student armed with two guns a 22 caliber rifle and 357 magnum pistol walked casually into the indoor commons area of Heritage High School here Thursday morning and opened fire, wounding six of his fellow students before surrendering in tears to an assistant principal. Conyers Georgia

Victor Cordova Jr. November 19 th, 1999 Deming Middle School Victor Cordova age 12 entered a classroom in his school and shot Araceli Tena, aged 13, in the back of the head killing her. Cordova had said to fellow students on the day before the shooting that he would "make history blasting this school. " Deming New Mexico

• December 6 th, 1999 – Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. Seth Trickey 13 fired 15 -rounds into his Middle School wounding four students. • February 8 th, 2008 – Baton young women enter Technical College Rouge, LA. Two classroom and shot and killed two other students. Do you think the potential is here for an attack in a Texas school? Doesn’t Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico literally surround the state of Texas?

Other reasons our school are soft-targets • Security Officers working at a school campus who are unarmed. • Administrators decide they will handle and deal with and failing to report or document incidents at his/her school.

Other reasons our school are Soft-targets - Continued • Someone observed taking photographs and no action taken. • Test schedules and requirements verses time. • Administrator Catch-22

Other reasons our school are Soft-targets - Continued • Media over-reacting to proactive schools. • School kids demanding right to carry weapons. • Complacency and naive attitude.

Other reasons our school are Soft-targets - Continued • Failure to budget for security or law enforcement training that is specifically designed to meet current threats. • Failure to budget for staff training designed to prepare staff to mitigate, prepare and respond to threats.

Other reasons our school are Softtargets - Continued • Lack of vigilance and due diligence in security. • PLANNING. Staff, security officers and law enforcement officers who do not know school Emergency Operation Plan.

Other reasons our school are Soft-targets - Continued • Failure to enforce school dress codes on consistent basis. • Failure to train SBLE officers and staff Ø What to look for (Warning Signs). Ø How to mitigate violence. Ø How to avoid capture, survive and escape if captured.

IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL PLANNING • Vigilant defensive and common -sense posture • Holistic and comprehensive allhazards emergency operations plan. • Texas School Safety Center (Tx. SSC) can help you – call or visit their website

IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL PLANNING – continued: • Beware of so-called experts • Crime prevention history since 17 th century – there are no guarantees. • Avoid over-reacting

IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL PLANNING – continued: • TRAINING helps over come fear. • People will respond they way they have been trained – instinctively. • If it does not look right – report it! Don’t sit on information.

BASICS for Prevention • Holistic written all hazard EOP. • Vulnerability - threat assessment. • Full scale rehearsals.

BASICS for Prevention • Vigilance and a common sense approach. Realistic training • SBLE and Security Officers viable first responders. • Immediate action and timing can deter an incident when seconds count………….

Four Phases of Emergency Management • Mitigation/Prevention: • Preparedness: Preparedness • Response: Response • Recovery:

Follow the State Law EC 37. 108 Multi-hazard Emergency Operations Plan; Security Audit. (a) Each school district shall adopt and implement a multi-hazard emergency operations plan for use in district schools. The plan must address mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery as defined by the commissioner in conjunction with the governor's office of homeland security. The plan must provide for: (1) district employee training in responding training to an emergency;

§ EC 37. 108. Multi-hazard Emergency Operations Plan; Security Audit – Continued: (a) (2) mandatory school drills to prepare drills district students and employees for responding to an emergency; (3) measures to ensure coordination with local emergency management agencies, law enforcement, and fire departments in the event of an emergency; and (4) the implementation of a security audit as required by Subsection (b).

§ EC 37. 108. Multi-hazard Emergency Operations Plan; Security Audit – Continued: (b) At least once every three years, a school district shall conduct a security audit of the audit district's facilities. To the extent possible, a district shall follow security audit procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center or a comparable public or private entity. (c) A school district shall report the results of the security audit conducted under Subsection (b) to the district's board of trustees.

WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO? • Take a holistic all hazards approach in developing/writing EOP. • Practice (table top exercises). • At minimum one full rehearsal per year.

WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO? • TRAINING Ø Staff Ø Security & Law Enforcement Ø Students Ø Parents • School campus patrols Ø Staff and SBLE Ø Volunteer Parents

WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO? • Security Technology Ø Closed Circuit Television cameras ØMetal Detectors

Drivers License Visitor ID • Insert Drivers License. • Background Check. • Prints photo visitors pass that fades after eight hours. • Prints staff & student identifications.

WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO? • Other Security Measures Ø Security fencing. Ø Identify only two (monitored) entrances. ØKeep gates and doors locked. Ø Have SBLE or security check staging areas prior to fire or other drills or actual evacuations.

N E V E R A G A I N

877 – 304 - 2727 www. cscs. txstate. edu

Presenter Contact Information 350 N. Guadalupe, Suite 140, PMB 164 San Marcos, Texas 78666. 877 -304 -2727 www. cscs. txstate. edu