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Editor's Note By Paul Rothman 2014: The Year for School Security? Legislation should further open the floodgates on spending A round this time last year, we were reeling — commissioning of studies and advisory councils on both as a country and an industry — just a few school safety. weeks after the horrific Sandy Hook massacre. Still, despite all the politics, debates and even enacted Security integrators were scrambling to reassure, reaslaws, we seem to be stuck where we started — and this sess — and, in some cases, remedy — the security is where you come in. Sure, you can stand on a mountechnologies and plans of the schools that served as taintop and scream at the top of your lungs about gun their clients. control; or, you can do what you do best: assess, creMeanwhile, the few weeks gave the talking heads, ate and improve the security measures at the schools political hand-wringers and others enough of a "buffer you already have (or will have) as clients. "Many zone" since the people argue that You can stand on a mountaintop and scream actual incident to it's difficult to safely start spewat the top of your lungs about gun control; or, protect children ing rhetoric. And from heavily spew they did. you can do what you do best: assess, create and armed, mentally Most of the talk disturbed people t a rgeted g un s. improve the security measures at the schools you prepared to give From the N R A their lives," school already have (or will have) as clients. espousing armed security consulsecurity guards in the hallways, to legislating the tant Pat Fiel said in a recent article on SecurityInfoWatch. demise of so-called assault weapons — the fervor "Yes, it is difficult, but not impossible; and we can do against guns seemed to swell to never-before-seen this without making our schools resemble prisons." proportions. The truth is, that while guns are cerWe are fortunate that even as these school security tainly a pain-point in the assessment of security at our incidents continue to occur, there is time and money schools, these politicians, pundits and even Presidents available to make improvements with a comfortable were missing the forest for the trees — and most of us timetable; and the technology is there and improving. in the security industry could see that. All this school security legislation should have, at the Now, a year later, we should be seeing the lasting very least, deepened the pockets of schools looking to impact of these great gun debates — except, of course, assuage their parents' security concerns. we still haven't seen much of anything. One day short Will 2014 be the year for school security? Only time of the one-year anniversary of Sandy Hook, a student will tell — but you have more power than most to at Arapahoe High School in Colorado shot and killed make a real impact. a fellow student before taking his own life. In the Don't Forget the Fast50 year since Sandy Hook, there have been more than 20 Don't let our annual Fast50 program get lost in your school shootings, according to one advocacy group. beginning-of-the-year shuffle. Take a moment and But there may be hope. On the legislative side, at check out the ad on page 15 of this issue, or visit www. least 540 separate bills related to school safety and securityinfowatch.com/sdifast50 for full details. Once security made their way through the 50 states this you are ready with your numbers from the past three year, accourding to the National Conference of State years, please visit the link and enter for free. ❚ Legislatures (NCSL). Of those bills, 106 laws were enacted — ranging from preventative and planning measures to additional security personnel and the Paul Rothman, Editor-in-Chief @SecurityDealer www.facebook.com/SDIMag 8 http://bit.ly/SDIonLinkedin www.SecurityInfoWatch.com | SD&I; | January 2014 www.securityinfowatch.com/sdifast50