The Columbia Press
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Safety: Dealing with the capacity to inflict harm
Continued from Page 1
parents of schoolchildren is a
reality that must be confronted
today: prepare for the worst.
“I don’t remember all the
things I worried about in
fourth grade, but getting shot
at school was not one of them,”
Rogozinski said.
“After being inviting and do-
ing everything to connect with
families in one era – you could
drop kids off by walking into
the building -- now, once our
buses have departed and kids
are inside, the exterior doors
are locked. At the grade school
and middle school, we have
perimeter fencing; it’s not like
a fortress, but you can’t casual-
ly breech it.”
June 3, 2022
It’s a delicate balance, he ad-
mits. There must be practice
drills, but they shouldn’t be the
cause of trauma.
“Situations that occur like in
Texas, in Newtown, every one
of them is unique,” Rogozinski
said. “There were a lot of safe-
ty protocols in place, school
resource officers, they had run
drills very recently and yet, for
whatever reason, the capacity
to inflict harm outweighed the
ability to prevent it.”
What’s changed
• Training. Warrenton po-
lice officers have attended
active-shooter training and
explored scenarios at various
schools in Clatsop County,
including one at Warrenton
High School and another at
the Coast Guard base.
“We have been able to de-
liver the ALICE training to
Warrenton school staff,” Chief
Workman said. ALICE, which
evolved after the 1999 Colum-
bine shootings, stands for alert,
lockdown, inform, counter,
evacuate. Instead of corralling
students into a classroom and
hiding, it encourages the use
of option-based, proactive sur-
vival strategies.
Officer Aaron Berndt is a cer-
tified ALICE instructor and
has provided the training to
police, school and city employ-
ees.
Educational service dis-
tricts in the Portland area and
on the North Coast met with
county schools two months
ago for “robust” safety train-
ing, Rogozinski said. More
training is scheduled this
summer on handling crises
and responses.
A safety specialist also will
visit the district this summer
to make an analysis of the dis-
trict’s strengths and weakness-
es.
Next school year, the district
plans to bring in a trainer for
age-appropriate and sensitive
safety training for students.
• Cooperation. The idea isn’t
new. Together we stand and
divided we fall so jurisdiction
means little.
“Any type of active shooter in
the county would be respond-
ed to by all Clatsop County
law enforcement agencies,”
Workman said. “We train that
during an active shooter inci-
dent to only wait for backup
if they are only minutes away,
otherwise you enter to stop the
shooter.”
Judgment is important, of
course; a single officer who’s
first to respond to a scene with
five shooters probably should
wait for backup.
“The bottom line is that my
officers and I are prepared to
enter a situation and stop an
active shooter with no backup
if the circumstances supported
that,” Workman said.
• Structural improvements.
The $38.5 million bond mea-
sure passed in November
2018 paid for the new middle
school, but also for safety en-
hancements at every campus.
A fortified entry cubical was
added to Warrenton Grade
School and a public address
system installed. All campuses
received automatic door locks
and specialized key systems.
In the police department, all
officers have been given more
equipment to engage with
violent offenders and active
shooters.
“Officers all have a patrol rifle
and the vehicles all have small-
er ballistic shields that the offi-
cers can take with them during
shooter situations,” Workman
said. “The department also has
a larger shield that can be de-
ployed as well.”
• Vigilence. The school dis-
trict has emphasized forming
close relationships with stu-
dents, parents and the com-
munity. No concerns are mini-
mized, Rogozinski said.
“When we go to the airport,
can we joke about having an
explosive on us,” he asked.
“We need the same standard
for schools.”
The Warrenton-Hammond
School District added the “Safe
Oregon” button prominent-
ly on its website. Through the
state-sponsored tip line, stu-
dents, parents and communi-
ty members can report safety
concerns anonymously.