PHILADELPHIA, PA \ December 16, 2012 \ DIVERSE NEWS \ Opinion– Since the news broke out of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, all you see are these people that come on news programs, so-called experts in Psychiatry; Law Enforcement and Criminal Psychology (so many fields in this area) getting their words in.
They showed the police chief talking about how the department is checking every crevice for evidence and so forth. But where were they when they were needed? Sure, police officers are supposed to react to crimes but if the school would have had an armed security officer, this massacre may have been prevented – that’s the difference. Someone who is posted at a location to prevent this type of thing and who is paid by the owner or agency compared to a police department that reacts to things like this. An armed security presence is what every school needs now especially with these type of things that could happen in any community.
The shrinks are getting their words in, and trying to justify their being with a job that is speculative at best. I mean with all of these psychologists around, they are about as helpful as a tarot card reader or even a sports bettor. They did nothing to prevent this massacre either – they can only guess.
It is not much difference in pay for an armed security officer compared to an unarmed one. In Pennsylvania, for example, all one needs is to obtain an Act 235 card which consists of a 40 hour training course which includes Search & Seizure training; background check and an psych test [sic]: MMPI [Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory]. That can cost around $800 for the training though. The pay is not much more than an unarmed guard. Some problems people see with this, though, is a presence of an armed police officer that could affect the children’s attitude (according to some parents). So, perhaps if they were stationed in a mirrored mezzanine-type situation, they wouldn’t be seen with their firearm and not affect a student’s attitude.
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