Are metal detectors necessary in school safety?
Metal detectors are appropriate for some schools, but they’re not used in as many schools as they should be. They’re often used inappropriately in schools, and we see many examples of that. Just like security cameras, we sometimes don’t apply the equipment and technology the right way. But if you do have a problem with weapons and you’ve identified this through incidents that have occurred or surveys of students or other means, it’s one technique, it’s one strategy you may want to consider. Be sure, however, to adapt the technology to your school. Very few schools will find entry point metal detection to be their first option, unless you have an extraordinarily high threat. This method is much more effective and practical to use random surprise metal detection, but not detecting every student on surprise days when they come to the campus but basically going to the classroom or checking groups of students as they disembark from a bus or they’re about to get on a bus. But we can prove it
