(DAPHNE, Ala.) Baldwin County is focusing on keeping students safe. The Sheriff, police chiefs, mayors, commissioners and school board members all met Friday. They've formed a task force aimed at keeping students safe by increasing security.
Preventing crime from happening at any school and finding ways to be prepared for the worst is exactly why local officials met Friday.
"I know there are some federal initiatives going right now to increase the resources that schools and communities have to protect children I know at the state level we are already talking about that, " said School Superintendent Dr. Alan Lee.
Issues and ideas at Friday's discussion included coming up with ways to tighten access to schools by forcing visitors to identify themselves, ways to find more money to train and hire school resource officers at each school and a greater police presence, something called smart deployment, basically more officers more often at schools. Police chiefs say they are already committed to doing just that.
"We are bringing in officers off the street in and out and just making a presence a law enforcement presence, " said Daphne Police Chief David Carpenter.
Also out of Friday's meeting the creation of a school safety advocacy committee headed by retired Secret Service Agent Kevin Levy.
"As a voluntary organization our best qualification is the fact that we are all parents so we are motivated not only with our background but as a parents to take action and move forward," said Levy.
In the end, the plan here is to use resources already available until others come along including money.
"I think the most efficient way to do it is to look at the local level and expand what we are already doing and how to do it better," said State Sen. Tripp Pittman.
Federal grant money to hire and train resources officers dried up in 2008. Most cities have been funding their own and it's likely now more will be needed.
