Seminar to address school safety

No location is immune to school violence. That includes South Dakota. To help school administrators be as prepared as possible for such a situation, the Sioux Falls Police Department is hosting a School Safety Seminar. The free training event will be held June 5-6 in Sioux Falls. It targets school administrators and law enforcement. Preference will be given to school administrators and local law enforcement officers who attend together. Capacity is 50 people.

A tentative agenda for the School Safety Seminar appears below.

For more information or to register, contact Sergeants Dale Roemen or Marla Schrank at (605) 367-7230. droemen@siouxfalls.org.

TUESDAY, JUNE 5

• 9-9:15 a.m. - Welcome

• 9:15-10:15 a.m.  - Why We Need to Plan and Practice

  • This is an excerpt of the Sept. 9, 2005, School Safety Conference featuring Lt. Col. Dave Grossman.

• 10:15-10:30 a.m. - Break

• 10:30-11:30 a.m. - Two Principals and a Cop – Sgt. Dave Osterquist, Principal Steve Cain & Vice Principal Jo Jean Callison

  • This is a nationally presented program on the working relationship between schools and law enforcement.

• 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. - Lunch on your own

• 1-3 p.m. - Gangs and Dress Codes – Officer Doug Simmons

  • Doug is the Sioux Falls’ Police Department’s gang expert and has taught this program regionally to school officials and law enforcement.

• 3-3:15 p.m. - Break

• 3:15-4:30 p.m. - Threat Assessment and School Law Enforcement – Sgt. Dave Osterquist

  • Dave has received training by the Secret Service on threat assessment in schools.

• 4:30-5:30 p.m. - PD Tour (optional)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6

• 8-9 a.m. - Introduction to Rapid Deployment – Lt. Richard Miller, SWAT Commander

  • This is a nationally recognized technique for police to respond to an active shooter. This “diamond formation” was developed by the L.A.P.D.

• 9-9:15 a.m. - Break 

• 9:15 a.m.-noon  - School Lockdown & Reunification Plans – Officer Lance Mattson

  • This regionally taught program will teach the school administration, with the help of local law enforcement, how to perform lockdown training. Lance has trained numerous area schools in this nationally recognized program.

• Noon - Wrap Up and Dismissal