posted on Oct, 15 2004 @ 11:20 AM
A shooting suspect is causing private and public schools to rethink their security measures. Thursday 200 pupils were evacuated from Our Lady of
Perpetual Help, a Catholic school, in Opa-locka Florida when the suspect, after a dangerous police chase, entered the school.
miami.com
A dangerous police chase that ended inside an Opa-locka elementary school full of dozens of students Thursday underscored a pressing need to
re-examine security at public and private schools, education and security experts said.
A shooting suspect trying to escape police ran into Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a Catholic school at 13401 NW 28th Ave., on Thursday, forcing officers
to evacuate about 200 middle school and preschool pupils.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
One suspect was caught shortly after his entry into the school, and a second suspect was caught just outside the school. No one was injured during
the incident, however security of schools is now being scrutinized.
Archdiocese of Miami spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta claims that some schools do not have regular security guards. Most schools have one main entrance
and guests are asked to check in at the front desk. Concern of fire issues has been brought up when the issue of keeping the doors locked was brought
in.
Measures to keep some schools safe have been put into effect, for example, Pine Crest Prep school has 24 hour security, employee and student id tags,
and closed circuit television, among other things.