March 21, 2018
Our nation’s schools have become soft targets for any would-be killer with a gun. We have to do a better job of protecting both students and faculty from these increasingly frequent threats. Shortly after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, Cincinnati FOP President Dan Hils approached me with a common-sense proposal to bolster school security and help keep our children safe.
I took Dan’s suggestions and went to work with my colleagues to produce legislation that gives schools and law enforcement the tools they need to make our schools safer and more secure. Our legislation, which was signed into law earlier this year by President Trump, reauthorizes the COPS Secure Our Schools grant program for ten years and more than doubles the funding available for important security measures, including metal detectors, improvements in identifying and treating mental health issues, the installation of improved communications systems that allow for better communication between law enforcement and schools and easier reporting of potential threats, and security training for school employees and students.
The legislation we passed represents a huge step in the right direction, and it will go a long way to help prevent violence in our schools.
