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As with any service, there is a cost related to school security. When budget time is near, we see schools, organizations and individuals trying to budget to their last penny. At the end of the day, however, some simply feel they do not have it in their budget for security. I’m here to tell you, that is an incorrect and dangerous approach. Frankly, that puts the entire school community at a very high risk when there doesn’t have to be. But, since budget is a primary concern, let’s discuss the financial costs associated with deciding against having security. Let’s say, your school or organization doesn’t choose to move forward with budgeting for security personnel and an incident occurs resulting in the loss of either property or people. With that, will undoubtedly come law suits and litigation. The first bill you will receive alone from a lawyer will most likely surpass the bill the security company will give you and you haven’t even paid the lawsuit yet! That lawsuit, whether it be for pain and suffering or the loss of a person will far exceed the cost of having a school resource officer on your site. In todays day and age, it is impossible to be ignorant to the fact that schools need security, and if I was a gambling man, I would bet a jury would feel the same way. This blog post is in no means meant to scare you or make you feel threatened. Rather, it is to protect you, encourage thought and make you aware of the simple fact that it is much more costly to not have security than it is to have it. I can only speak for Semper Secure, but we work hard to be as cost efficient as possible. We feel that our clients need to trust us, so, we keep our costs low and pay our employees well to ensure you get the best product for the most reasonable price. Don’t gamble with the lives you are trusted to protect. #ExpelFear Until next time, Shane Camardo
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Hi Everyone,
As I’m sure you are all well aware, there was unfortunately another tragic school shooting at Great Mills High School in Maryland. However, this time, there was a different result. Great Mills employed a competent, trained and frankly, heroic school resource officer who was on school property at all times. Officer Blaine Gaskill was able to show the tremendous benefits of a proactive approach to school safety. We talk to a lot of schools and we hear numerous concerns in regards to having a school resource officer on campus full time. I can understand that this may be an uncomfortable reality for some. However, frankly, the statistics I will give in this blog post PROVE that an officer on campus is essential to the safety of students and teachers. The average time it takes an active shooter to carry out their plan from the first to last shot is anywhere from 2-7 minutes. The average length of time it takes the police to arrive, by the time they are notified, is anywhere from 3-5 minutes. Now, let’s look at these numbers in real time. It is very rare that the police will be notified the second a shot is fired. It normally will take some time for the person to gather themselves, seek cover and find a phone to make the notification to 9-11. Let’s say the first shot is fired during lunch time at 12:01pm and the police are called at 12:02pm. Even if the police arrive, enable a quick reaction plan and enter the building, in the hopeful time of 3 minutes, the shooter has had 4 uninterrupted minutes. FOUR. You may think that four minutes is not that long of a time, but think of how long four minutes feels for those who are terrified and trapped inside. And mind you, four minutes is the BEST case scenario. Now, let’s imagine a highly trained officer is on the school campus at all times. They will know the “mood” of the school and be able to be on the look-out for any potential threats. As we’ve all learned, the myth of someone “just going crazy out of nowhere” is false. In most, if not all, of the active shooter situations, someone was told or hints were given. There are always warning signs. A competent and aware officer on campus will have a better chance to stop the threat before it becomes a hostile situation. I say it all the time but it can’t be stressed enough. We owe it to our children to have a fear free learning environment. Be proactive. #ExpelFear Until next time, Shane Camardo As I was putting my 15 month old to sleep last night, I decided to scroll through my twitter feed and came across a tweet from The School Safety Advocacy Council. They host School Safety Conferences as well as a National Conference on Bullying. The tweet said, “School Safety must be a 365 days a year issue, not only when a Major School Shooting occurs.” And I personally could not agree more.
We all fall into this trap including myself. There is a “hot issue” going on and we want to all get behind it, until slowly it becomes forgotten. ( I did it not too long ago by investing in crypto currency! ) We see a school shooting happen and social media explodes with prayers, well wishes and pushes for change within our laws across the nation. However, sadly, time passes, small changes are made, and the push for school safety fades away until another tragedy happens. THIS IS AN INEFFECTIVE REACTIVE APPROACH!! Just think for a minute. What if, instead of reacting to a school shooting, measures were put in place to prevent it from happening all together? What if schools staffed a trained security officer who is passionate about keeping the students safe? This officer would develop relationships with the students. Talk to them, ask them how their day is going or how that big test or game went. Develop a level of trust. The sheer presence of this individual can deter tragedies from occurring. Teachers would also benefit from this individual actively patrolling the building. Should they double as a security officer while teaching? Should they hold the burden to carry a firearm and have to potentially point it at one of their students? In my opinion, absolutely not. As a child of two educators, I was able to see firsthand their hard work, countless extra hours grading and preparing meaningful assignments and deep level of care for the students that they educate. For as much work as they do and as little pay as they get, they too deserve an environment that is safe. Being proactive is crucial to the mission of both student and faculty safety. Let’s put measures in place NOW to prevent incidences from occurring in the future. Lets make sure the students and the faculty at these schools know we care. Until next time, Shane Camardo Hi everyone! We have recently added new followers as well as clients, so I prepared this letter to give an overview and reiteration of who I am, who we are and what we do!
___ My name is Shane Camardo and after getting honorably discharged from the Marine Corps two years ago, I saw a need for a different approach to school safety and security. Too many times, I walked into a gymnasium to watch a game and saw the “security” standing in the corner talking together or on their phones, drinking a cup of coffee. I knew this wasn’t an effective way to keep the students safe. Thus, I decided to start my own company and Semper Secure, LLC was born. Thanks to Sister Marianne at Paul VI High School, we were able to get our start and we have been growing ever since! We are licensed through the state of New Jersey and all of our officers have been fingerprinted and hold the Security Officers Certification (SORA) through the New Jersey State Police. Also, most of my staff are veterans or retired police officers. Though our price tag may be less than our competition, you will not be losing any quality. The main thing that separates us from our competition is our philosophy. We have a five step security approach that we have found to be the most effective.
Make no mistake about it, this is my passion. I don't hire just any one, I hire the right people to ensure my clients get the best of the best. A trained eye is crucial in deterrence and I guarantee you will get that with my employees. I look forward to speaking with you soon about how we can tailor our approach to your school or event. Very Respectfully, Shane Camardo Chief Operating Officer, Semper Secure, LLC |
AuthorShane Camardo, Chief Operating Officer, Semper Secure, LLC Archives
April 2018
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