SPD chief reassures parents, students

City of Sidney Police Chief Mike Brown said in a prepared statement that the best defense that can be taken to prevent an event like the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., is to prepare, practice and educate.

“Having a second grader myself, I empathize with not only the parents of the children that were taken from this world in a senseless and cowardly act of violence, but also parents across the nation that have had their sense of safety and security shaken to the core,” Brown said.

Members of Sidney’s Police Department and School District have always held safety as their most important focus, Brown said.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to do my best to reassure the parents and children that attend school in Sidney that the (Sidney) Police Department and the School District (officials) have placed the safety of our children as a top priority and have done so well before the tragedy in Connecticut,” Brown said.

Brown said that the effort to stay safe must come from a combination of dedication by the police department, school members as well as parents and their children.

“The law enforcement and school community closely watch these incidents unfold, dissect the information available and adjust our tactics and planning as new or different information comes to light. We do this to ensure that the plans and tactics are the most effective we can possibly have,” Brown said.

Brown said although it’s understandable to question any schools’ safety stability after an event like this, he’s self-assured with the cautionary plans set in place for the community.

“I have a second grader. Do I worry about his safety at school? Yes. What parent doesn’t in this day and age, but am I comfortable sending him to school every morning? Yes. Yes, because I am confident in the plans and procedures in place, the practicing, the training, the skills and the dedication that are present in the Sidney School District, the Sidney Police Department and law enforcement community and the Sidney Community as a whole,” Brown said.

Brown said that current and possible future lockdown procedures will be evaluated to make sure they are the most efficient possible.

“Officials of the Police Department and the School District have worked together to develop lockdown procedures and plans to promote the highest levels of safety for our children, given the circumstances we would be facing during an incident similar to those that transpired at Sandy Hook Elementary.” Brown said. “These plans and procedures are continually evaluated, modified and revised.”

Brown said that the plans in place in the case that an unfortunate event were to occur are “multi-dimensional” and include primary and secondary evacuation points, gathering locations, locations for students to reunite with their parents, as well as shelter places within buildings in the case that students or staff were unable to leave the building.

Also in place is a way to determine if those in the shelter are all right until they can later leave the building, Brown said.

“These plans and procedures are practiced on a regular basis by every class, from Kindergarten through 12th grade, in every building, similar to the way fire and tornado drills are practiced. I’ve attended several of these drills and the faculty/staff and children do an outstanding job at executing the plans,” Brown said.

Brown said that all Police Department officers have been trained for incidents like that in Conn.

“Officers have received extensive training in Immediate Action Rapid Deployment tactics that are specifically designed to respond to an Active Shooter incident. These tactics allow initial responding officers to immediately enter the building (not wait for SWAT or numerous back up officers), and locate and neutralize the threat(s) to prevent any further loss of life or injury,” Brown said.

Brown said that having a full-time School Resource Officer is a great asset to Sidney Schools occupants’ safety.

The officer is able to maintain a police presence on school grounds as well as have anongoing understandingof what is going on in the schools at all times, Brown said.

“There will never be a totally secure school or any other structure for that matter,” Brown said.

Brown said that when an attacker chooses to cause devastation and unbelievable tragedy what determines the outcome of what happens next depends on the “preparedness and response” of not only police, but also school faculty, children, parents and the community.

Brown said that procedures and plans are in place throughout the school district, even if they are unknown throughout the community.

“The preparedness levels and what has actually been done to prepare school staff and our children and the training received by law enforcement is a difficult thing to publicize and is a double edged sword,” Brown said.

“The details of the plans that are in place, law enforcement tactics and procedures, are not something that can or should be released to the public. But at the same time, these details are the very thing most parents want to know in order to feel secure in sending their children to school every day.”

Brown said that if the plans and procedures in place got into “the wrong hands” it could further threaten the safety of students, responders and the community.

“The plans that are in place here in Sidney are solid and workable. The school district is dedicated to protecting our children. The police officers are highly trained, dedicated and willing to do whatever it takes to stop any threat against our children,” Brown said.