Difference between revisions of "Soft Targets:Target Analysis"
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| − | + | As with all other possible civilian targets that are categorized as being “soft”, the main vulnerability of a school is that there are no military defenses or personnel on site to defend against possible attacks. Since the amount of access differs between different types of schools (e.g. Universities versus K-12 grade schools, public versus private) we focus our analysis towards public high schools, in particular Chula Vista High School, part of the Sweetwater Union High School District in San Diego County. The decision to evaluate the current policies dealing with an attack on an American public high school is due to relevant historical attacks (both domestic and international), the public’s natural sympathy towards attacks towards children; however, we do not intend to imply that a high school is more or less vulnerable than any other educational institution. | |
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| − | + | Chula Vista High School is located in the city of Chula Vista, situated south of the City of San Diego in a community that stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the foothills and six miles to the international border. Chula Vista High School’s 2,500 students are composed of Hispanic (68%), White (13%), African American (6%), Filipino (4%), Asian (1%), Pacific Islander (1%) and American Indian (1%) 9th to 12th grade students. It is also served by a certificated staff of 110 teachers, 7 counselors, 5 administrators, and a classified staff of 31 employees. | |
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| + | Public high schools in America have many characteristics making them susceptible to attack. When looking at the site plan of Chula Vista High School, the first thing one notices is how open the campus is. Any intruder can easily walk on to campus and into any of the classrooms or administrative buildings. The National School Safety and Security Services recommend "providing special attention to perimeter security and access control issues." Having a clearly defined perimeter and a staff that is trained to identify and monitor suspicious individuals is a clear first step. Also, the classrooms are all closely spaced together creating a dense population target ideal for a high casualty attack. The "General Lock-Down Procedures" of Chula Vista High School, and all schools in the SUSD, state for teachers to keep students in the room and to sit or lay on the floor. The school, as with almost all other public schools in the US, is also without any armed security guards. There are two staff members who are responsible for detecting intruders and acting as peacekeepers on campus. However, their role is to deal with possible violence between students, and they are not trained nor equipped for handling a situation like the ones that occurred at Columbine or Beslan, Russia. A teacher’s responsibility only extends to shutting and locking the classroom door, blocking any windows or glass doors and placing a green or red placard under the door to notify whether there is an intruder or not in the room. The only communication to these teachers are through a "crisis email Broadcast account" where messages and updates are posted. | ||
| − | + | Another vulnerability the school faces is its close geographic location to the border of Mexico. Being only a few miles north of the US-Mexican border brings up issues of possible terrorist attacks by possibly smuggling chemical or biological weapons across the border. If thousands of illegal immigriants cross into the United States every year undetected, will we be able to stop terrorists as well? The existence of a number of US military bases (the Marine Base at Miramar and Naval base at Camp Pendleton) just a few miles up the coastline also pose an interesting threat. Several years ago, an intruder stole a tank from the military base and was able to access the freeway. | |
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| + | http://www1.policejobs.com/photos.php | ||
| − | + | Along with the structural vulnerabilities to a public high school such as Chula Vista are training deficiencies. Richard Mutka, a 9th grade Social Science teacher at CVHS, said the only training he received regarding what to do in case of an attack on school grounds was given to him in the form of one hand out (see Appendix A) effectively instructing him to just keep his students in the classroom, lock the door, and wait. The topic of a terrorist attack on the school such as the one that occurred in Beslan, Russia where over 350 people were killed (including 156 children), was never mentioned nor are there any plans in the future for training to detect and defend against such an attack. This "Ostrich-Syndrome" approach to the problem or not addressing the issues at hand will only create opportunities for Columbine like tragedies. | |
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[[Image:school_evac_map.jpg]] | [[Image:school_evac_map.jpg]] | ||
Revision as of 06:30, 7 December 2005
As with all other possible civilian targets that are categorized as being “soft”, the main vulnerability of a school is that there are no military defenses or personnel on site to defend against possible attacks. Since the amount of access differs between different types of schools (e.g. Universities versus K-12 grade schools, public versus private) we focus our analysis towards public high schools, in particular Chula Vista High School, part of the Sweetwater Union High School District in San Diego County. The decision to evaluate the current policies dealing with an attack on an American public high school is due to relevant historical attacks (both domestic and international), the public’s natural sympathy towards attacks towards children; however, we do not intend to imply that a high school is more or less vulnerable than any other educational institution.
Chula Vista High School is located in the city of Chula Vista, situated south of the City of San Diego in a community that stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the foothills and six miles to the international border. Chula Vista High School’s 2,500 students are composed of Hispanic (68%), White (13%), African American (6%), Filipino (4%), Asian (1%), Pacific Islander (1%) and American Indian (1%) 9th to 12th grade students. It is also served by a certificated staff of 110 teachers, 7 counselors, 5 administrators, and a classified staff of 31 employees.
Public high schools in America have many characteristics making them susceptible to attack. When looking at the site plan of Chula Vista High School, the first thing one notices is how open the campus is. Any intruder can easily walk on to campus and into any of the classrooms or administrative buildings. The National School Safety and Security Services recommend "providing special attention to perimeter security and access control issues." Having a clearly defined perimeter and a staff that is trained to identify and monitor suspicious individuals is a clear first step. Also, the classrooms are all closely spaced together creating a dense population target ideal for a high casualty attack. The "General Lock-Down Procedures" of Chula Vista High School, and all schools in the SUSD, state for teachers to keep students in the room and to sit or lay on the floor. The school, as with almost all other public schools in the US, is also without any armed security guards. There are two staff members who are responsible for detecting intruders and acting as peacekeepers on campus. However, their role is to deal with possible violence between students, and they are not trained nor equipped for handling a situation like the ones that occurred at Columbine or Beslan, Russia. A teacher’s responsibility only extends to shutting and locking the classroom door, blocking any windows or glass doors and placing a green or red placard under the door to notify whether there is an intruder or not in the room. The only communication to these teachers are through a "crisis email Broadcast account" where messages and updates are posted.
Another vulnerability the school faces is its close geographic location to the border of Mexico. Being only a few miles north of the US-Mexican border brings up issues of possible terrorist attacks by possibly smuggling chemical or biological weapons across the border. If thousands of illegal immigriants cross into the United States every year undetected, will we be able to stop terrorists as well? The existence of a number of US military bases (the Marine Base at Miramar and Naval base at Camp Pendleton) just a few miles up the coastline also pose an interesting threat. Several years ago, an intruder stole a tank from the military base and was able to access the freeway.
http://www1.policejobs.com/photos.php
Along with the structural vulnerabilities to a public high school such as Chula Vista are training deficiencies. Richard Mutka, a 9th grade Social Science teacher at CVHS, said the only training he received regarding what to do in case of an attack on school grounds was given to him in the form of one hand out (see Appendix A) effectively instructing him to just keep his students in the classroom, lock the door, and wait. The topic of a terrorist attack on the school such as the one that occurred in Beslan, Russia where over 350 people were killed (including 156 children), was never mentioned nor are there any plans in the future for training to detect and defend against such an attack. This "Ostrich-Syndrome" approach to the problem or not addressing the issues at hand will only create opportunities for Columbine like tragedies.
