Should Veterans be considered for school security since they already have the training?

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 09:49:01 -0400

We all know the schools have an issue with the children bringing guns and shooting fellow classmates and faculty. maybe when a soldier is finished with their obligation to the country, they should be offered, by the state, a position with the school districts to help keep our children safe.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Apr 24 at 2015 9:58 AM

CSM Charles Hayden — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 09:58:53 -0400

SrA Greg Istok, After additional training; yes, veterans could relieve police agencies of school protective details. That would save the schools some money and assist vets in getting into police work.

In CA, retirees can purchase guns w/o going thru a handgun safety course.

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Apr 24 at 2015 10:04 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 10:04:48 -0400

Military service is not Police work (unless, perhaps, you are a MP).
If you want to be a cop, go to cop school.
Veterans get a 10% bump on most civil service exams so, if you can pass the psych, you can probably get into any police force that is hiring.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Apr 24 at 2015 10:49 AM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 10:49:51 -0400

With the exception of very few MOS's, almost no veterans are remotely qualified to do something like this. Knowing which end of the rifle goes toward the bad guys is about as much training as most vets have...

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 11:25 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 11:25:26 -0400

It should also be dependent on MOS I mean a cook shouldn't get the upper hand

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Apr 24 at 2015 11:41 AM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 11:41:08 -0400

SrA Private RallyPoint Member not every veteran has trained in physical security, and small arms. You would need veterans from specific specialties to perform this task. I think that it is a good idea to put armed constables in and around schools. I also think it is a sad commentary that it is necessary. When I was in school we didn't need to put an orange cap on a toy gun to indicate to others that it was a toy. Kids who chewed their pop tart into the shape of a gun were not suspended. It seems that a lot of the things that as kids our parents were expected to teach us at home are no longer important. When I was young we watched war movies, then divided up and went to war. We had toy guns, sticks, and rocks all were used as pretend weapons. We understood that it was not real, and had no need or desire to take that into school. We were taught respect for our teachers. If homework wasn't done, that was our fault not mom and dad's fault. Certainly it would not be the teacher's fault.
Sorry got off on a rant.
I think that taking veterans who used small arms in the military should be tapped as school district constables. They should be trained, armed, and deployed to school zones to keep them safe.

Response by Sgt Branden W. made Apr 24 at 2015 12:00 PM

Sgt Branden W. — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 12:00:03 -0400

I teach currently, elementary K-5. I also have my CCP and am a responsible gun owner. I was an 0341 with plenty of weapons training. Immediately following Sandy Hook I drafted an email to the assistant superintendent of my district expressing my desire to have school policy amended to allow select staff to carry on premises.
Never received a response. Hell, simply advertising that select staff were carrying would be a huge deterrent. A possible active shooter would skip the school with a sign in the window that reads: "Select Staff Carrying Concealed Weapons."

I constantly educate my kids on sheltering in place, and we don't just lock the door for shooter drills, we bar the doors, wedge chairs etc which are fireproof solid metal core and would require serious effort to come through. (still not a fan of shelter in place but it is what it is)

Other than that, it seems that people feel if they ignore the threat of an active shooter on campus, the threat will go away. It doesn't work like that. Antiquated shelter in place practices need to be replaced with deterrent or teachers that have been adequately trained to shoot back should SHTF.

/rant.

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made Apr 24 at 2015 5:43 PM

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 17:43:06 -0400

I really had trouble understanding the question. My first reaction was, sure, if the school is going to hire armed security than veterans could apply for the positions (along with any other qualified applicants).

But then I realized that that is not what is being posed here. So, in response to what is actually being asked ... NO. In fact, HELL NO!

I see no reason to set up a program that is only open to veterans. Once you leave the service, you take the skills you have, and you compete in the "real world" like everybody else. A program such as what is being suggested here usually starts with good intentions --- and we all know where those intentions usually get us. Before long, we would have a bloated bureaucracy to administer a program that is costing too much, delivering too little, and fraught with problems (sound familiar?).

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Apr 24 at 2015 6:01 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 18:01:21 -0400

I answered 'i think Greg should go back to bed' because we all know you actually posted this from your laptop in bed, that the last things the Teachers Union would allow is a veteran around the children, telling those empty vessels about truth and the real world and if our soldiers and veterans are already taking their own lives, what would an important 'job' like this do to those numbers?