Las Vegas Encourages Partnerships, Communication to Combat School Violence
Clark County police are teaming up with the Las Vegas police to combat school violence, and weapons in schools. They also encourage parents to stay aware of their students’ digital presence.
- By Kaitlyn DeHaven
- August 13, 2019
Clark County officials are strengthening partnerships and security as students and teachers are heading into the new school year. There are approximately 321,000 students in the county, and with that large of a student-base, there are a lot of lives to protect.
Last year, there was an increased number of guns found on school campuses. Last year, 23 handguns were confiscated on school campuses, and a student was killed after being shot by a student from a different school. To combat this, Las Vegas police teamed up with Clark County School District police this summer to conduct ride-alongs and increase familiarity with one another’s operations. In addition, school and Metro police will now partner with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate where guns found at schools are coming from.
“We want you to see firsthand how seriously we take these crimes,” said Capt. Sasha Larkin, leader of Metro’s Northwest Area Command. “We want this to be a really good, safe school year, as I know all of you do.”
Police also encourage parents to know what their child’s online presence looks like, and how their relationships with other students are, as these can be telling factors in whether or not the student could be a danger to the school.
“If your child has an ongoing beef with another student either live or virtually online, you need to take an active role in that as well,” Larkin said. “Because it’s these beefs that quickly escalate into shootings and, in some instances, mass killings.”
The school police K-9 team will be made of eight officers this year. These K-9s will sniff for guns in classrooms twice a day.
Superintendent Jesus Jara said that one of the best ways to combat violence in the school system is to speak out when you see something. Jara said one of the best ways to do this is to use their anonymous tip system, SafeVoice.
“If you see something, you say something,” Jara said. “Please, let the adults know so we can help you.”
About the Author
Kaitlyn DeHaven is the Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.