Incidents are traumatic enough without broken doors as a reminder.
Property damage might be the last thing on your mind when you contemplate the risks of an active school shooting on your primary or secondary education campus. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about it. In fact, some of the same measures that protect students, teachers, administrators, and first responders are the ones that could prevent unnecessary property damage, related costs, and other less tangible effects.
Within the broad ecosystem of school security technologies, including video cameras, silent panic buttons, and smart sensors, there is a solution that can expedite entry access for first responders and protect the school from costly damage.
Case in Point: A Traumatic Example
On December 6, 2023, a shooter killed three faculty members in Frank and Estella Beam Hall at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). It was a terrible and tragic day with sweeping repercussions, not only for the people involved but also for buildings across the campus. According to an article on the UNLV website, “Some 500 doors were damaged as law enforcement officers swept through buildings to methodically clear thousands of people from lockdown.”
In the face of gun violence, death, and critical injuries to victims, doors may sound like a small price to pay. But when you consider the short-term repair and long-term replacement costs to the university, 500 doors add up fast, to a reported $2.5 million, according to an 8NewsNow story.
The Better, Faster, Safer, and Less Costly Way In
Secure, real-time access through lockboxes strategically placed for law enforcement is not only possible, but it’s proposed or required by law in a growing number of states.
Many schools believe they have this protection in the form of existing lock boxes required by fire departments, but it’s not quite that simple. Fire departments are not authorized to share access with law enforcement. The fire department boxes are also smaller and insufficient for other types of school emergencies requiring access by other first responders.
Lock boxes specifically designed for law enforcement access, such as the KnoxBox 3200 and KnoxVault 4400, can hold keys and access cards for multiple doors, along with critical information like facility maps. If law enforcement responding to the emergency at UNLV had had access to the full facility via secure lock boxes, they could have entered rapidly with keys instead of breaking down the 500 doors that stood between them and those they were trying to protect.
Damage is a painful and lingering reminder to victims and survivors
Physical repair and replacement costs are not the only troubling impact of broken doors. It can take months, if not longer, to receive insurance or other funding for the repairs. As educators, students, and administrators attempt to reclaim the space and find the “new normal” after a tragedy, broken doors around every corner and down every hallway serve as trauma triggers for many involved.
Don’t leave law enforcement on the wrong side of the door
We hope you never have to experience the difference between easy, rapid access and a real-time decision by first responders to break down the doors to reach the people they are trying to help. But the old adage by Ben Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” holds true here. Law enforcement must be able to gain entry – let’s make it easier for them.