The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) recently outlined the results of a recent school safety summit tailored for federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and campus law enforcement personnel.
The School Safety Summit: Strategies for Prevention was conducted July 19-21, 2022, and gathered almost 1,000 law enforcement officers and agents that participated in the virtual event.
“Tactically responding to active threat events has become a cornerstone of law enforcement training,” FLETC Technical Training Operations Directorate Assistant Director Kai Munshi said. “Developing strategies to prevent those acts of violence from occurring is equally important, and we are committed to providing stakeholders with every resource available.”
Munshi said the endeavor united subject matter experts nationwide to discuss prevention strategies, including threat assessment and threat management, physical security assessments, and social media.
Summit presenters included former Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Capt. John Spoor, who addressed the priority of threat assessment in identifying emerging threats to public safety. The lessons provided by the PCSO Behavioral Threat Analysis Unit to interrupt and disrupt the cycle of violence.
“The tragedies our nation has experienced regarding targeted violence highlights the importance of school safety and threat management,” Spoor said. “It was an honor to be part of FLETC’s committed goal of educating our law enforcement community.”
Munshi noted that while FLETC’s mission is to train law enforcement, the agency encourages everyone to get involved by utilizing information, guidance, and resources provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“The DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) is one such resource that takes a whole-of-society approach to prevent targeted violence and terrorism,” Munshi said. “CP3 supports local prevention frameworks through technical, financial, and educational assistance. There are numerous proactive steps that educators, businesses, and private citizens can also take to help prevent and mitigate acts of violence.”