SROs, schools use threat assessments to track potential problem students

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - It's a staggering statistic. Mo Canady, with the National School Resource Officer Association, says there has been at least one school shooting a week in the U.S. since 2018 began.

He was in Washington, D.C. when he heard about the latest massacre in Texas.

"It's of course always one of shock," Canady said about his reaction to the news.

Stopping the violence, he says, is a multi-layered approach.

One of those layers is a threat assessment, which allows schools to track students who may cause potential problems.

It starts with the SRO building relationships with students which allows them to gain intelligence.

Canady says this is done through a three-pronged approach. "First, their role as a law enforcement officer. Second, their role in the education process and how they can help students, and thirdly, their role as an informal counselor," he explains.

Once intelligence is gathered, the SRO takes that info back to a team of school counselors, psychologists, and administrators to track that student and when possible, intervene.

But does the method really work? "We have several cases across the country where SROs have been able to head off violent attacks before a shot is ever fired," says Canady.

You may remember just last week Gov. Kay Ivey called on Alabama schools to immediately begin creating threat assessment models.

Canady says not every school or district has someone who knows how to create one, but there are plenty of knowledgeable folks that can help teach the process.

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