Jan 7, 2020, 2:45 PM
(from the New York Times) Since mid-August, gunshots have broken out near more than 20 school sporting events. The pattern of after-school shootings has largely gone unnoticed. Shootings at school events are a longstanding problem, but efforts to prevent them have been halting, piecemeal and, in some cases, virtually nonexistent. On some campuses where IDs are required to walk into school and active-shooter drills are standard, after-hours games are still wide open: Anyone who pays a few dollars for a ticket can stroll right in.
A 188-page best practices guide published by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security calls for security screening at every entrance and having the police hold drills on what to do if a gunman appears. It also suggests that schools consider installing metal detectors and limiting patrons to clear bags. Last summer, researchers released a free online training course, funded by the Department of Homeland Security, to teach police officers and educators how to limit security risks at after-school activities.
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