The community of Shaker Heights was alarmed and distressed after 18-year-old Charles Shanklin was murdered in an act of gun violence at the Shaker Heights Main Library April 1. In the face of such a tragedy, the need for sufficient security measures has never been more apparent. In recent months, the intensity of the weapons detectors evidently was reduced such that at one point, students only needed to remove electronics from their bags, rather than binders or most other metal items. This experience led some students to question the efficacy of the security system.
However, Principal Isaiah Wyatt explains that the high school’s walk-through weapons detection system, which has been in place since Jan. 23, has proven to be accurate. “We have tested the system with multiple off-duty officers in real time to ensure weapons are being detected at a 100 percent accuracy rate. This will continue to be a practice that we engage our SHPD in to ensure our system is functioning properly,” Wyatt said April 3. The fact that the system has been effectively tested by law enforcement is important information – and it is information that should have been shared with the community. It is unclear why the district was not more transparent, given concerns about the system’s accuracy.
While testing the weapons detection system was a necessary step, the April 1 incident reminds us that we cannot afford to take shortcuts when it comes to safety. A security system is only effective if it is enforced. While security measures did appear to intensify in the days following the incident, this level of attention to security needs to be the norm, not just how we respond to tragedies. Currently, the weapons detection system is administered by security staff and assisted by teachers who are not necessarily equipped to perform a job they were not hired to do. So many security monitors attending to screening leaves few to monitor the rest of the building during first block classes. The manual examination of students’ bags continues to be inconsistent. Increasing the sensitivity of the detectors is one thing; it’s also imperative that the district hire, train and retain more security staff dedicated to consistent, thorough screening.
With a fatal shooting occurring just down the street, the importance of advanced security measures has become tragically apparent. The incident involved current and former SHHS students; without these protections in place, it could have happened here. The emphasis should be, now more than ever, on fixing weak links in the system and improving consistency.
It’s clear that weapons detection has become a necessary step in other areas of the community, not just the high school. Weapons screening must be established at the middle school and at the IC, which is an extension of the high school. Today, no weapons detection system exists there.
The Shaker Heights Public Library does not currently have a weapons detection system, but, according to Communications and Marketing Manager Lyndsey Brennan, security presence has increased. “When you come to the main library, you’ll notice the police in the building. We will have increased security on site at least through the end of the school year, in the form of off-duty police,” she said.
According to Brennan, potential next steps for security are still being discussed. “We anticipate many will be in attendance for the board meeting on Monday night to start the conversation about implementing changes,” Brennan said. “Metal detectors, I am not sure [about]. The library’s official position is that we are open to discussing many solutions, but I can’t confirm that is one of them.”
From courtrooms to churches, the presence of detectors and other security systems is expanding; at this rate, they will simply become expected features of any public buildings. When a 15-year-old child can access a gun and open fire in a library simply because he possesses the will to do so, making strong security systems the norm is the only adequate response.
