Arming Security Officers - An Insurance Perspective


In the past year, highly publicized mass shootings have made the call for armed security officers commonplace. To many, it seems logical to use armed officers to combat armed criminals and prevent tragedies from occurring. After incidents such as the Aurora, CO, movie theater shooting, security officer companies often see increased interest in armed security officers. These firms, in turn, call their insurance companies to find out how armed officers will affect their insurance coverage. When insurers evaluate the use of armed officers, they quite often see risks outweigh the benefits for the average company or organization - risks that have a significant impact on both the availability and cost of insurance coverage. There is little evidence any organization can prevent mass shootings by hiring security officers who carry firearms. The reality is a single armed officer in a school is unlikely to prevent an armed person with malicious intent from causing harm. For insurers, this means the risks of armed officers are difficult to justify in most settings, and they charge higher rates for security officer firms that employ armed officers. From many perspectives, it is safer, less expensive and more effective to hire security officers who do not carry firearms. Instead, firms may want to look at hiring officers armed with non-deadly weapons.


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many more will follow suit this fall. Lower prices have also made iris scanning technology attractive to more types of enterprises.


Read More Governor Signs School Safety Drill Legislation


Governor Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 1625. The new law which takes effect immediately requires all Illinois schools to hold active safety drills with local law enforcement to ensure they are as prepared as possible in the event of a school shooting. The law also requires that the law enforcement drill include a shooting incident, and that law enforcement partici- pate in it. The drill must take place in each school building where students are taught, and it must occur during the academic year.


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Midlothian Independent School District Deploys Rapid Responder® Crisis Management System to Increase Campus Safety


University Relies on Iris Scan to Protect Youngest on Campus


After the shooting tragedy at the Newtown, CT, elemen- tary school that left 20 young children and six staff members dead, Winthrop University put a renewed focus on security. It found iris-scanning technology to be the answer it was looking for. “It was kind of like what happened after Virginia Tech. It changes your emphasis,” said James Hammond, vice president for information technology at the university. That was especially so, he said, because of the ages of 20 of the Newtown victims. Winthrop has on its campus an early childhood laboratory school, which enrolls about 70 children at a time. “We were looking at it, and we realized that the kids were always supervised by adults, but what happens when an adult, some unauthorized, comes to pick one of them up? The adult has to leave the children unattended,” Hammond said. He and his team decided on technology from Iris ID Systems Inc. “We knew immediately that it was the type of technology we were looking for. It was the tightest, most secure, practical and affordable system we came across. Access cards can be forged, irises can’t.” So far about 1,600 students have signed up, and he expects


The Midlothian Independent School District has strengthened relationships and joint efforts for campus safety with the Rapid Responder® Crisis Management System in their district protect- ing campuses, students and staff. The system includes docu- mentation of ongoing fire drills, shelter in place and lockdowns, along with storing emergency plans, chemical identification, floor plans, site maps, aerial photos, interior and exterior facility imagery, hazardous material locations, utility shut off instruc- tions, police and fire tactical response plans, facility emergency and evacuation plans as well as key contact information and location as well as reunification sites in case of an emergency. This information is shared with first responders and school officials providing instant access to school emergency plans and key site information.


Read More Should Teachers Be Armed?


Amid rising calls to arm teachers — spurred by the December 2012 slaughter of 26 students and teachers in Newtown, CT — the non-profit Center for Homicide Research examined 30 cases


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Have a question about workplace violence? Email us at Barry@WVPReport.com to get help.


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