“Reach for yourDreams”

Friday, March 4, 2016 MonmouthCounty Sheriff Shaun Golden andhis staff kicked off the newest ver-sion of “Reach for your Dreams”program. The Sheriff in partnershipwith the Monmouth County Super-intendent of Schools has devel-oped an extremely effectiveprogram; “Reach for your Dreams”. This anti-drug/anti-violence pro-gram is modeled after the originalinitiative designed by Sheriff Jerry“Peanuts” Gains and Captain JoeJakub in Warren County, Kentucky.It was adopted because of its suc-cess in reaching students at pivotalpoints in their young lives.

A selection committee comprisedof staff from county offices care-fully screens and selects individu-als who have experienced variouslevels of interaction with the court,or juvenile justice system as a re-sult of substance abuse and or actsof violence, and who are on theroad to recovery. These individuals become part ofthe “Dream Team”, and are avail-able to make presentations to mid-dle school and high school agestudents. According to Selma Mor-ris, M.A., Executive Assistant toSheriff Golden, they are looking towork with students in the 5th to 9thgrades. Preferably they would liketo present at schools every otheryear.

Their message is personal: howsubstance abuse deferred theirdreams and required a long journeyto recovery. There is a positive twistof determination, and overcomingadversities, but the strongest mes-sage is about saying “NO” to drugs,and instead, Reach For Your…DREAMS!

The Dream TeamSheriff Golden is pictured above withthe 2016 Dream Team which is com-prised of thoroughly screened volun-teers who have overcome adversitiesresulting from, or who have been di-rectly affected by, substance abuseand/or violence. They are supervised by“Dream Team” Coordinators who arelaw enforcement professionals presentfor each Dream Team members speak-ing engagement.The presentations last one hour (60minutes) or if you are using a blockschedule the times can be adjusted.During the presentation, Dream Teammembers share their personal experi-ences, hardshipships, and emotions, inretrospect, while actively engaged intheir addiction. They then engage thetarget audience in a follow-up discus-sion.

How the Program WorksSchool districts and/or communityagencies invite the Dream Team tomake presentations to middle and highschool students. Prior to the visit, a re-source packet is provided. The packetincludes sample letters to parents, pro-gram expectations, and suggestions forstaff before, during and after the pres-entation. Also included is a list of available com-munity resources if referrals are neededbeyond those available at the host site.Educators and other support staff areencouraged to listen to the program andmessage, while screening the target au-

dience for students inneed of referral serv-ices or those at risk. School personnel areencouraged to pro-vide the opportunityfor additional discus-sion after the presen-tation ends. Studentsshould be madeaware of trustedadults or other re-sources available tothem if they need fur-ther dialogue or assis-tance. The Dream Team coordinators returntwo weeks later without the DreamTeam speakers. They get the class re-action; discuss the presentation andconsequences for substance use andor abuse. They again offer school andcommunity resources for student(s) as-sistance. This provides an additionalopportunity for sharing, reflection, dis-cussion, identification of at risk studentsand referral.

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Threat from parent closesCoulee City schools

March 2, 2016KREM 2 CBSGRANT COUNTY, Wash. - The GrantCounty Sheriff's Office said they have asuspect in custody after authoritiesclosed schools and highways as a pre-caution on Wednesday.Sheriff Wade W. Magers of the LincolnCity Sheriff's Office said a disgruntledparent, who apparently had issues witha custody issue in civil court on Tues-day, made threats to "blow up" and"shoot up" the Coulee City School.Magers said the threat was taken veryserious as the subject was considered"volatile." GCSO worked with adminis-tration from Coulee City and the schoolwas evacuated, Magers said.Lincoln County deputies, along withGrant County deputies and the Wash-ington State Patrol patrolled Highway 2and were dispatched to school cam-puses in the immediate proximity whilelooking for the suspect as a precaution.Magers said the unidentified suspectwas stopped and arrested in Soap Lakearound 9:30 a.m.News of the incident first came to lightaround 8:30 a.m. when GCSO tweetedthat police activity in Coulee City wasresulting in the precautionary closure ofall schools in Coulee City.The Moses Lake School District wasplaced on lockdown in relation to theGrant County investigation on Wednes-day as well. Officials with the MosesLake SD said the lockdown was a pre-caution and had actually lifted their lock-down as of 9:25 a.m.Around 9:50 a.m. Grant County Sheriff'sOffice tweeted that State Route 28 inLakeview was being closed for policeactivity and drivers need to avoid thearea.Finally, at 9:58 a.m. authorities said

they had a suspect in custody andSR28 was back open.Marcus Morgan, the superintendent ofthe Reardan School District said in astatement that students who were ontheir property were never under a directthreat.The rest of Morgan's statement read:"A shooting threat was received by theAlmira-Coulee-Hartline District thismorning. We were informed at 9:15 thismorning about the issues. Since we hadstudents from that district on our cam-pus for band and choir competitions, wetook some safety measures to protectstudents by cancelling outdoor activitiesand working with law enforcement tomonitor the campus.By 9:40, the suspect was in custodyand all safety measures were returnedto a normal status. There was never adirect threat to students on our campus.We were just being cautious until wefound out more details about the situa-tion. We always will be over cautiouswhen it comes to protecting our staffand students."Officials said they will release more in-formation as it becomes available.

Not our Springfield:School shooting threatthat sparked calls and

concern was from OhioMarch 4, 2016Springfield News-LeaderThreatening posts, shared widely onFacebook and Twitter late Thursday,promised a shooting at a Springfieldmiddle school.The messages warned, among otherthings, that "Better close school tomor-row im gonna kill everybody I prom-ise..." and "if you go to a Springfieldmiddle school shooting it up tomorrowwatch."As a result, families and social mediausers have been contacting the Spring-field Police Department, SpringfieldPublic Schools, individual schools, andthe city/county 911 call center.Springfield police and school officials in-vestigated the flood of reports and wereable to figure out that the threats origi-nated in Ohio and were targeted towarda Springfield middle school in that state.

There are many roads in fife that can be traveled. Its up toyou to stay focused, to know what’s right and to make thebest choices.

SOCIETY for the Prevention of Teen Suicide732-410-7900

"It started last night. We got four calls. Ido know that schools sites are gettingcalls," said Jim Farrell, director ofSpringfield school police services. "Wedetermined pretty quick that it wasOhio."He also checked the names included inthe post. They didn't match the namesof students or teachers in the district, hesaid."You have to react quick with thesethings because of the safety of studentsand staff," he said.Farrell reached out to his law enforce-ment counterparts in Springfield, Ohioand learned the posts were generatingconcern across the U.S. "The guy toldme they've been getting calls fromSpringfields all over the country."

Springfield (Missouri) police spokes-woman Lisa Cox said early Friday thattips regarding the threats started Thurs-day afternoon and continued throughthe night."We received 13 Facebook messagesovernight," she said.Early Friday, the Springfield school dis-trict acknowledged the rumors on itsFacebook page. The post read: "Ru-mors circulating on Facebook that athreat has been made toward one of ourschools are false. We have investigatedthe post being shared and have verifiedthat it originated in Ohio. The authorities

there are aware of the post as well andhave responded appropriately."It also posted a news story from Toledostating that police in Ohio had checkedout the threats and they were not cred-ible.Farrell said he appreciates the volumeof concerned parents and communitymembers reaching out to the schooldistrict and police."Obviously, you want people to err onthe side of caution," he said. "We aredoing our best to get the word out thatthis isn't us. We're safe."

Police: rumors of shooting at Graham High

unfoundedMarch 2, 2016TheTimesNews.comGRAHAM – Rumors circulated Thurs-day at Graham High School aboutsomeone planning to “do some shoot-ing” at school on Friday.“We have no reason to give this rumorcredibility, but we’re taking this seri-ously,” said Graham Police Chief JeffPrichard. “I have staff over there now

speaking to the administration aboutthese rumors.”Officers were on campus Thursday try-

ing to find out where the rumor started,Prichard said, but while 20 or so stu-dents said they heard it, police were notable to find its origin or learn who wassupposedly planning violence.Prichard said some students had beencalling their parents, and there wereeven rumors in other schools that therehad been violence already, which wasnot true, Prichard said.He said he planned to increase GrahamPolice presence on campus as a pre-caution Friday.

On February 16th, 2016 SGT RobertShamrock responded to a call for serv-ice of loud noise at 36 Jackson Street.Upon his arrival he made his way up tothe source of the noise on a secondfloor apartment. As he went up thesteps, he heard the distinctive metallicsound of a rifle bolt being racked backand forth, and then heard voices dis-cussing “doing a shooting”. He contin-ued up the stairs, and the door to theapartment was slightly open. He wasable to observe several subjects pass-ing around a bolt action rifle and “rack-ing” it. They were also discussing hownot to leave prints on the rifle after usingit in the shooting. Realizing he was outnumbered, SGT Shamrock backedaway to observe the activity and calledfor assistance. PO Tracy Widdis, PO Sergio Chaparro,

PO Gary Vecchione, PO Kevin Morris,PO Brian Oliveria and LT Hazel arrivedas backup. Together, after a bit of astandoff, they were able to arrest all 4individuals and locate various hand-guns and contraband in the residence. These officers used tremendous re-straint when facing 4 armed adver-saries. They should be commended fornot using deadly force, although it mayhave been justified in this case. Thank-fully, cooler heads and training pre-vailed, and SGT Shamrock should beespecially praised for his leadership inthis crisis. Property seized:1. Maverick 9mm Handgun2. American Eagle 22 caliber riflesawed off3. Smith & Wesson 357 Revolver4. Savage Arms 12 gauge shotgunsawed off5. American Body Ballistic Vest6. Assorted ammunitionArrested were:Damion W. Tyler 24 yoa B/M36 Jackson Street; Apt #2 Long Branch,

NJDerrick Tyler 25 yoa B/M36 Jackson Street; Apt #2 Long BranchNJTysef T. Sims 20 yoa B/M180 Monmouth Avenue Long Branch,NJDevaughn Pierce 21 yoa B/M376 West End Avenue; Apt #35 LongBranch, NJAll were charged with: 1. 2C:39-5B Unlawful possession ofhandgun2. 2C:39-4A Possession of Weapons forUnlawful Purpose3. 2C:39-3B Prohibited Weapons-Sawed- off Shotguns4. 2C:39:3.F (1) Body Armor PiercingBullets5. 2C: 35-10A (4) Possession of CDS;Marijuana less than 50 grams6. 2C:36- 2 Possession of Drug Para-phernalia Bail was set at $130,000.00 with no10% option for each subject

Training, drills pay off inMadison school shootingMarch 6, 2016Dayton Daily NewsBUTLER COUNTY — School districtstrain for hours every year for somethingthey hope never happens.They send their administrative staff tosecurity seminars, hire school resourceofficers, install building safety equip-ment, spend thousands of dollars, all toprevent the unthinkable: A school shoot-ing.But that’s exactly what happened at11:18 a.m. Monday during lunch periodfor the 130 eighth-graders at MadisonJr./Sr. High School. A 14-year-old stu-dent, called “a good kid” by many,pulled out a .380 caliber handgun he al-legedly stole from a relative, and firedseveral shots, hitting two classmatesand injuring two more.James Austin Hancock, the allegedshooter, was apprehended by theschool resource officer a short timeafter the shooting was reported. Hefaces two counts of attempted murder,two counts of felonious assault, induc-ing panic and making terroristic threats.He remains in Butler County JuvenileDetention Center awaiting his next pre-trial hearing is scheduled for April 5 be-fore county Juvenile County JudgeRonald Craft.All four students injured are expected torecover from their injuries, school offi-cials said.Law enforcement departments in theregion have trained for years for activeshooter incident in schools and in busi-ness situations. But Monday wasn’ttraining.“You never think you will have to usethat training. You hope deep down thatit is something that never happens,”said Middletown Police Chief RodneyMuterspaw. “But that’s why you train so

hard and invest so much time andmoney into it because you owe it to yourcommunity to be ready and that is ex-actly what happened.”Muterspaw said when the shooting hap-pened, his department immediatelysprang into action - sending teams toMadison and Middletown schools.“My first thought was to immediately se-cure our schools here in Middletown incase it spilled over into here. We imme-diately sent two teams out - one toMadison High and the other to ourschools. Everyone dropped what theywere doing to get to those two assign-ments,” Muterspaw said.

The chief added, “We have trainedschools, businesses and our own citypersonnel. We have three activeshooter trainers currently and we con-tinue doing it. By completing this, itmakes it much easier to assess a situ-ation and it gives the people we train anidea what to expect when they en-counter one. Our SROs are amongthose trained. They work hand in handwith the schools to set protocol and pol-icy should one occur.”Hamilton Police Chief Craig Bucheitstressed training is important to keepeveryone safe.“I want all Hamiltonians - but especiallyour students, teachers, and staff in ourschools - to know that we regard theirsafety and our commitment to shieldingthem from harm as our highest priority.The shooting at Madison High Schoolreminds us that these types of situa-tions, although rare, can happen any-

time and anywhere” Bucheit said. “Withthat in mind, we continually focus ourschool safety efforts in two areas: pre-vention and preparedness. As part ofthat continuous process, three yearsago, in close collaboration with our part-ner, the Hamilton City School District,HPD undertook the extraordinary taskof completely redeveloping the crisisplans and active threat response proto-cols in every public, private, andparochial school in the city.“We have continued to perfect and re-fine these plans, including a joint train-ing exercise between Hamilton Policeand Fire Departments last month,” hesaid.

“We are just lucky that his motive wasn’tto kill a bunch of people or he didn’thave the heart or he wasn’t able to doit,” Philpot said. “Because he got out ofthe building super fast that was a bless-ing for us.”Philpot, an assistant eighth-grade boysbasketball coach, was in the cafeteriatalking to his players minutes beforeHancock allegedly fired the first shot.When Philpot left the cafeteria andheaded toward the main office, he wasfollowed by Hall.Seconds later, the first shot rang out.

Letter: Use of schoolfacilities for shooting

range seems a terribledouble standard

March 5, 2016Tri-City HeraldI applaud the idea of the JROTC pro-gram in Kennewick. What I object to isthe use of school facilities for the shoot-ing range in the school’s gym annex.If a child brings a toy gun to school theywill be expelled. This to me seems a ter-rible double standard and a poor exam-ple for the students. If the rules apply toone the rules should apply to all.JOHN HAMILTON, WEST RICHLAND

Fight at New Orleansschool ends with studentstabbing another in facewith scissors Thursday

March 4, 2016The AdvocateA fight at a New Orleans school left astudent injured after being stabbed inthe face with scissors, according toNew Orleans police.Initial reports from NOPD say two stu-dents got into a fight at a school locatedat 3819 St. Claude Avenue, the addresslisted for ARISE Academy.After the fight ended, one student in-volved in the scuffle walked by the otherwith a pair of scissors and stabbed thevictim in the face, NOPD said.The victim received medical attention atthe scene.No other details have been released.

Mother says studentsschedule fights with

daughter on FacebookMarch 4, 2016FOX 31 DenverDENVER -- A Denver mother is beggingschool administrators to do somethingabout school violence after her daugh-ter was involved in a brawl at BruceRandolph School.Jeanette Velasquez said students arescheduling fights with her daughter onFacebook and claims Denver PublicSchools won’t do anything about it.“This is my fourth time coming to theschool to speak with them about it,” Ve-lasquez said.Her eighth-grade daughter, Heaven,has been involved in three fights atschool since October. Velasquez saidbullies pick on her because she’s home-less.“It started with girls just talking abouther to exchanging words back and forthto actually the physical altercation,” Ve-lasquez said.In a video of her latest fight, which hap-pened Wednesday, Heaven is seenfighting back. She was suspended fortwo days and received a ticket from theDenver Police Department. Velasquezsaid punishment is not the only answerthough.“She doesn’t feel safe. She feels likethe school doesn’t take her seriously,”Velasquez said.

La Loche School Needs24-Hour Mental Health

Services: Georgina Jolibois

March 6, 2016The Candian PressOTTAWA — The MP for the remoteSaskatchewan community of La Lochesays the people there are in urgentneed of round-the-clock mental healthservices as they struggle to deal withthe aftermath of a tragic mass shooting.Georgina Jolibois says people in theDene community are showing signs ofpost-traumatic stress disorder.In a letter to Health Minister JanePhilpott, the New Democrat MP saysone young person attempted suicideearlier this week.On Jan. 22, a 17-year-old boy allegedlyshot and killed two teenaged brothersbefore going on a rampage at the localhigh school, where he killed a teacherand a teacher's aide and woundedseven others.The shooter, who can't be named underthe Youth Criminal Justice Act, hasbeen charged with first-degree murderand attempted murder.Jolibois says the tragedy has provokeda mental health crisis in the community,but there are not enough mental healthprofessionals to deal with it.Moreover, she says: "People are forcedto re-visit the scene of the shooting

every day — with the only change toour school being where they havesealed off the areas where victimsdied."Jolibois says La Loche has struggledfor years, long before the shooting, withinadequate mental health services, butthat situation has now become intolera-ble. She asks Philpott to "send help im-mediately" and to "urgently invest" inmental health services."We need culturally appropriate mentalhealth services available around theclock in our own community to savelives and to help us heal," she says inthe letter.

"People are forced to re-visitthe scene of the shootingevery day — with the onlychange to our school beingwhere they have sealed offthe areas where victimsdied."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visitedthe community a week after the shoot-ing and promised that the federal gov-ernment would be there for the peopleof La Loche for years to come, Joliboisnotes."The people of La Loche understoodthis commitment to mean that the serv-ices we need to grieve, to heal and tothrive would continue to be made avail-able to us — that we would not be lefton our own to try and deal with thisgrievous tragedy."Yet less than two months later, shesays, "We already now find ourselveswithout adequate support."There is often no one at the commu-nity's health centre after 5 p.m., "mean-ing too often that for people seekingsupport there is literally no one to turnto for help," Jolibois says.

Police seek suspects instabbing outside

Minnesota high schoolMarch 4, 2016Grand Forks HeraldWOODBURY, Minn. — Police werelooking for suspects Friday in connec-tion with the stabbing of a 16-year-oldboy after a basketball game Thursdayat East Ridge High School in Woodbury.Police said Friday the victim remainedin critical condition with multiple stabwounds, and authorities released twoteens who were in custody after it wasdetermined they were not directly in-volved in the assault.A fight broke out about 9 p.m. as fanswere leaving a boys sectional game be-tween Tartan and North St. Paul highschools, according to the police. Thevictim was transported to Regions Hos-pital in St. Paul.East Ridge was a host site for the tour-nament game, which drew studentsfrom multiple schools. Both police andSouth Washington County Schools saidthey do not believe any East Ridge stu-dents were involved.Detectives were reviewing surveillancevideo and working with police andschool liaison officers from variousschools to identify witnesses and sus-pects, Woodbury police spokeswomanMichelle Okada said in a statement.She said they did not plan to releasemore information until an arrest ismade.

OPS working to acquire drug-sniffing dog after survey

finds support from parents,staff

March 6, 2016Omaha.comThe Omaha school district could get its owndrug dog to patrol hallways and sniff lockersduring random searches next school year.The Omaha Public Schools are working withthe Omaha Police Department to buy andtrain a drug-sniffing canine that could makeits first appearance in middle and highschools this fall, spokeswoman MoniqueFarmer said.“We know that the use of drug dogs inschools at districts around the country is adeterrent that can help keep drugs out of theschool buildings,” Farmer said.The plan is still in the early stages. It followsa school security survey distributed last fallthat asked parents, students, teachers andprincipals whether they would support addi-tional security measures in schools, includ-ing metal detectors and drug- andgun-sniffing dogs.In the 2014-2015 school year there were263 suspensions and expulsions related todrugs — a steep drop from the previousschool year — and 178 involving weaponsoffenses.OPS received close to 3,000 survey re-sponses. Officials said the use of drug dogs,especially at the high school level, gotstrong backing.“We hope to never find anything,” Superin-tendent Mark Evans said. “What we hope isthat this makes our students more awarethat we are focused on keeping our schoolbuildings safe.”Millard has its own drug-sniffing dog, namedBuddy, whose handler is a school resourceofficer. The pair are based out of MillardNorth Middle School, but travel throughoutthe district, where Buddy performs sweepsand serves as an ambassador dog that kidscan pet.Mojo, a Westside narcotics dog, was a fix-ture at Westside Middle School and otherDistrict 66 schools until the English Labradorretriever died last year. The district does notplan to replace the dog because of the cost,

said district spokeswoman Peggy Rupprecht.Like the Bellevue, Papillion-La Vista andSpringfield Platteview school districts, OPSuses drug dogs for random searches oflockers or cars but doesn’t have a dedicateddog.OPS currently calls on the Nebraska StatePatrol, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office andBellevue Police Department to occasionallyconduct random searches. But having a full-time dog and an additional school resourceofficer could allow the district to conductmore searches.The Police Department would purchase andtrain the dog, which could cost between$5,000 and $10,000, Farmer said.Officer Michael Pecha, a police spokesman,confirmed the department is working withOPS to provide a narcotics dog. He said thedepartment would provide more informationafter the dog is working in the schools.The district and Police Department wouldlikely sign a memorandum of understandingoutlining responsibilities and duties for thedog and searches, Farmer said. Once train-ing is complete, random searches would beconducted in OPS’s 12 middle schools andseven high schools, possibly as often astwice a week.School board members have not talkedmuch yet about moving forward with a nar-cotics dog, said Lou Ann Goding, boardpresident.When the safety survey was sent out sev-eral months ago, school board memberswere generally supportive of exploring in-creased security options, though some wor-ried about the message that would be sentby using metal detectors and drug dogs.“There’s a careful balance between creatingsafe schools and a welcoming environ-ment,” school board member Lacey Mericasaid at the time. “I don’t want students to feellike they’re going through the TSA.”“It should look and feel like a school, but stillat the same time be safe and secure,” boardmember Justin Wayne said. “I’m OK withdog searches, random searches, as long asit doesn’t disrupt the learning environment.”Some critics of drug dogs in schools havecast doubt on the reliability of dogs to sniffout contraband. Searches are often limited

to parking lots, classrooms or lockers, notindividual students who could have drugsstashed in their jacket or pocket.On the safety survey, metal detectorsproved less popular than narcoticssearches.Farmer said principals and communitymembers had concerns about the logisticsof installing metal detectors at a school en-trance. Principals in particular worried aboutthe possibility for morning traffic jams.“Just in general, I can see how that type ofdeterrent would not necessarily be the mosteffective use of our time,” Goding said.Some school districts, notably New YorkCity’s public schools, have considered re-moving metal detectors as violent incidentsdropped and parent and community groupscriticized the prisonlike atmosphere theycreated.In 2010, OPS started using metal detectorsat some high school basketball games, ap-proving a $60,000 contract for walk-throughdetectors. Uniformed police officers, calledschool resource officers, are stationed at allOPS middle and high schools.Parrish Alternative School, Blackburn Alter-native School and the Accelere program atBlackburn have metal detectors, and highschools were given hand-held metal detec-tor wands several years ago, Farmer said.