Some experts question the booming industry and whether any of these strategies are effective at stopping gun violence.
The Christian Security Institute is among the more involved businesses in a fast-growing active shooter defense industry taking root with the rise of bloodshed and anxiety across North Texas and America.John Dunlap performs a handcuff simulation on Charlie LaShure of Life Fellowship Church, as senior instructor William Chadwick observes during a training session to become personal protection officers, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, in Krugerville.
Most research on school safety tools is self-reported, letting companies focus on the variety of offerings, rather than effectiveness, according to “Part of being prepared for today’s world means we have to deal with active shooter drills, just like we have to deal with tornadoes, inclement weather, fire and other things like that,” Vecchi, a former FBI crisis negotiator and U.S. Army veteran, told the school staff. “It’s just something else to add to your responsibility.”
“It’s money and we’re appreciative, but it wasn’t going to cover all of it,” Stanley said. The school board decided the difference didn’t matter and that they would just have to find funding elsewhere. “We just told all our teachers, maybe we’ll just clean the carpet this year and replace it in the next budget year.”
“I understand this is not convenient,” director of safety and security Britney Fortner said in October. “Security and safety is not convenient.” While there’s no such thing as 100% bulletproof glass, Beale said plenty of companies advertise it. Security film helps hold shattered glass together and offers people behind the window time to find safer ground or escape.
In 2023, the firm was under contract with more than 110 district-wide programs in Texas, including Plano, Tyler, and Carrollton-Farmers Branch school districts. Texas schools are its largest clients, with a typical contract of about $129,000, Beale said. NGS also works with Fortune 500 companies for security installations at corporate headquarters buildings.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas secured more than $1.7 million in local and federal security funds in 2022 to protect Dallas-area Jewish nonprofit facilities. Several hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent each year on security across Dallas’ Islamic institutions, according to the Council of American-Islamic Relations.
“I look at all of these vendors and think, if we would have had some of these in place back then, we could maybe alleviate some of the things that happened at Columbine High School,” DeAngelis said on stage. One of the event’s sponsors, Raptor Technologies, works with more than 5,000 school districts across the U.S. The Houston-based company has sold software for schools to screen visitors, track volunteers and respond to emergencies since 2002. More than 80% of schools in Texas have contracts with the company, said chief marketing officer David Rogers.
Their model ensures there aren’t strangers tasked with protecting churches, said William Chadwick, Charles’ son and the institute’s head instructor. “Their wives are in the sanctuary, their kids are in the children’s wing. They’re not leaving. They have a vested interest.”