Emergency Management

1 Emergency Management Stoneman Douglas High School shooting Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018, resulted in the death of 17 people and injured 17. According to Berne (2019), the shooting disaster was triggered by 19-year-old Nikolas Jacob Cruz when he opened fire on students and staff, leading to a national outcry from parents. The disaster was not the first of this type of school-based shooting, but one of the most severe in terms of death, exceeding the April 1999 Columbine High School shooting that left 15 dead. Mass shooting falls under the category of manmade disasters, which are more difficult to forecast and manage. The culprit in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting incident was 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, a former student at the same school (Shear, 2018). The active shooting took about four minutes.

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2 Environment The physical environment included buildings with various safety measures, including areas where people can hide in case of active shooting. The shooting happened in a three-story building that housed 30 classrooms that would hold about 900 students (Berne, 2019). The complex, on a typical day, had 30 teachers. The number of classrooms and population the complex would hold points to a large structure. The physical environment of the building made it possible for many people to congregate together for learning, predisposing them to a possible mass shooting.

The political environment included government policies and views lenient to gun ownership. The Florida law allowed people as young as 18 to own and carry guns. Cruz, 18, had acquired several ammunitions before the shooting (Shear, 2018). President Trump was in power, a pro-gun crusader and also a perpetrator of hate messages against immigrants and minority groups. His message of "Make America Great Again" inspired white supremacism. Media established that Cruz had shared a similar message, underlining the effect of the political environment on the shooting disaster (Drayton, 2018). The Democrat-leaning media houses lashed the president for his lack of firm stand against gun violence and for being part of the problem (Shear, 2018). In essence, the discourse over school shootings was amplified by the politics of the pro and anti-gun control factions, Democrats vs. Republicans.

The social environment included challenges of racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism.

Cruz had expressed extreme views against immigrants, African Americans, Jews, and Muslims.

The social environment exposed him to prevailing hatred towards members of various grounds, underlining the impact of the social environment on disasters (Berne, 2019). The U.S. has endured years of racism, white supremacism, and general discrimination against the minority

3 groups such as African Americans. The social environment is also characterized by freedom of media, which is a key social agent that shapes people's thinking about issues such as gun violence and racism. Cruz's enthusiasm about mass shootings was impacted by previous clips of school shootings he watched before, underscoring the effect of media on socialization (Berne, 2019). It was these social effects that helped to amplify the case of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

Exposed Problems by Media and Social Outlets The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting raised several concerns after media, and social outlets highlighted the flaws that led to the killings and injuries during the attack. One of the problems exposed was the authorities' failure to prevent the disaster (Berne, 2019). The media revealed that the shooter had shown signs of being violent and dangerous to human life. He had been suspended from several schools, earning a record six transfers within three years. Teachers and colleagues had reported him threatening other learners, proving he was up to no good (Braun, 2019). Crux’s Instagram handle revealed that he openly hated African Americans, Muslims, immigrants, and Jews.

Moreover, media revealed that it took longer for school authorities to activate a "Code Red," a security measure that is supposed to trigger a lockdown and avoid a disaster. The delays were attributed to misunderstandings among school employees over who had the authority to activate it (Chuck et al., 2018). The disaster would have been averted or reduced if the code had been activated early upon teachers or other employees in the school learning of the impending danger. It is imperative to note that the school did not activate a "Red Code' was not activate when Cruz was seen entering the school by staff. The staff had seen him with a backpack walking resolutely toward Building 12 (Drayton, 2018). Although he immediately radioed a

4 colleague who decided to hide in the closet, he did not track Cruz or activate the "Code Red" to put the entire school on lockdown. The mix-up was later blamed on the training the staff had received, where it was alleged that he was only trained to report threats (Braun, 2019). In essence, had the staff activated the lockdown immediately after the shooter stepped into the school and they felt he was a security threat, the fatal shooting would have been avoided or managed in time to reduce the number of casualties.

The security officer from the Broward County Sheriff's Office on the school compound at the time the shooting started did not respond immediately. He instead remained outside, giving the shooter ample time to execute his attack to the conclusion. Media observed that had the officer entered the building on time; he would have prevented Cruz from shooting more victims (Chuck et al., 2018). Instead, the shooter moved from the first to the third floor, shooting into classrooms, implying that the victims on the second and third floors would have been avoided if the security officer had responded to the first shot. The media blamed the County Sheriff's Office for failing to issue a timely command to its officer on the ground. The officer acted within his training and chain of command (Drayton, 2018). At the time of the shooting, the security officers were not allowed to enter school buildings under attack without prior authorization. The fact that the shooting took only a few minutes makes it hard for an officer relying on authorization to respond in a timely response to a security emergency, as in the case of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting (Braun, 2019). Consequently, there was little value in having a security officer on the ground if he could not timely respond to a security threat of an active shooter.

Future Policy Changes The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting raised pressure for future policy changes to manage such disasters. One of the major changes that can be implemented to avoid mass

5 shootings in schools includes stricter gun control restrictions to ensure that people with signs of mental health issues and the young do not own and use guns at any given time (Davis, 2021).

Cruz legally owned guns at the age of 18 (Braun, 2019). Most school shootings are committed by young people vulnerable to a lack of control over their emotions. The state of Florida responded to the Stoneman Douglas High School disaster by raising the legal age for gun ownership to 21, a long overdue measure.

Moreover, the assessment for persons applying for gun ownership should include tough and strict background checks to avert cases of handing guns to those with questionable histories and states of mind. When Crux was allowed to purchase guns, he had a long history of threatening other learners, poor management of emotions, and showed signs of nurturing a criminal mind (Drayton, 2018). However, despite all these warning signs, he was legally allowed to own and use guns, underlining the weaknesses in the laws on gun ownership. The legal system that prioritizes the right to own a gun over the security of the population should be declared redundant and reformed to make it better and responsive to current needs (Davis, 2021). It is important to acknowledge that without gun restrictions, it would be hard for mass shootings in schools to be avoided. In this respect, the government should take necessary measures to enhance gun control to avoid a repeat of school shootings.

A ban on the carrying and use of guns on school compounds by non-security officers should be enforced to keep schools safe. In addition, the policy would require schools to have systems for scanning for guns and other harmful weapons at the entrance to ensure that persons who may pose the danger of gun violence are stopped and handled at the entrance. This would help to prevent incidences of armed people, such as the case of Cruz, from entering school buildings (Braun, 2019). Prevention is the best way to address the problem of shooting disasters

6 in schools because once a potential shooter is allowed into the school building, it becomes difficult to neutralize the threat without avoiding a bloodbath.

Schools should have safe areas where students and staff can hide in case of a mass shooting. The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting exposed the lack of safety "hard corners" in most classrooms, denying victims safe havens (Davis, 2021). Hard corners allow learners and staff to take shelter against shooters. Gun shooting disaster demands a swift move to alleviate the danger, underlining the importance of safe areas where potential victims can barricade themselves as they wait for security officers’ response. This policy measure should be taken as we wait for the implementation of the strict gun control law. The issue of gun ownership in the U.S. as a whole is a big problem because of the political, economic, and social interests that are attached to it (Berne, 2019). As a consequence, with little chance that guns will be withdrawn from civilian hands, a policy requiring each classroom and office in school to have "hard corners” would be handy in managing cases of future school shootings.

Technology disaster and security response policy should also consider using surveillance technology to address the problem of mass shootings in schools. The delayed response to the security threat posed by Crux is an issue that can be addressed through the use of surveillance technology. Stoneman Douglas High School had CCTV cameras, but they were not integrated into automated systems that would send signals to security agencies or activate the school's lockdown (Davis, 2021). Technology can be used to scan a threat, report a threat, and activate a lockdown to protect potential victims from the impending disaster of a mass shooting. From when Crux entered the school to when he entered the building, an automated system would have noted the danger he posed and locked the school (Berne, 2019). The system would equally relay information to the armed security officer and the Sherriff's office for immediate action. It is

7 worth noting that the armed officer from the Sheriff's office did not enter the building to face the shooter because he thought the shooting happened outside the building. According to his communication with the office, he noted that the shooting incident had occurred outside the complex he was manning, a confusion that would be addressed through technology (Braun, 2019). Therefore, technology can help to eliminate human errors in judgment.

Threat assessment should be conducted regularly to help prevent shooting disasters in schools. According to Davis (2021), there have been numerous school shootings in schools in the last two decades, with each triggering changes in security enforcement measures in schools.

However, these changes have not ended the problem of school shootings, and some schools have not fully implemented the new guidelines due to a lack of urgency and research information.

Risk assessment can help schools and security agencies foil potential security threats and improve the security infrastructure to keep school communities safe (Davis, 2021). For example, the case of Crux shows how ignoring warning signs can be fatal. Threat assessment would have helped to secure the school from Crux.

Personal Opinion The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting was elevated to a focusing event due to the number of fatalities and the prevailing political environment. The disaster was a record-breaking school shooting, making an automatic center of attention in a country where mass shootings often occur (Davis, 2021). The high fatalities meant it would be hard for the media and the public to ignore the disaster. Nevertheless, previous incidents of mass shootings had elicited national debates but to little effect in triggering policy changes to prevent the recurrence of the events. The risks of massing shootings in the U.S. remain high because the country maintains a high number of guns in civilians' hands than any other country (Berne, 2019). Pro-gun ownership

8 groups often invoke the right to self-defense to fight any move aimed at imposing strong restrictions on gun ownership.

The political environment also impacted the disaster and how it was highlighted.

President Trump and his republican party support gun ownership as a response to insecurity threats posed by criminals, shooters, robbers, and even terrorists (Braun, 2019). As a pro-gun regime, the Trump government came under fierce criticism from the liberal wing that accused it of failure being part of the problem of gun violence. The Democrat-leaning media houses such as the New York Times amplified the calls for stringent gun control laws, digging into details on how the current laws are insufficient to arrest the problem (Shear, 2018). On the other hand, Republican-leaning media, such as Fox, pressed for the arming of teachers and the use of security officers to secure schools. The whole discourse took a partisan direction as each faction tried to justify its position for political reasons (Davis, 2021). As long as the gun control discourse remains a political issue, it will take a long time than it is necessary to address school shootings and mass shooting at large.

There is a need for a bipartisan approach to the problem to circumvent political obstacles in formulating strong policies against school shootings and gun violence. The political leaders, at national and local levels, should come up with a multidimensional approach to secure schools with requisite tools to inhibit school-based gun violence (Davis, 2021). The approach should include investing billions of dollars in enhancing security within and around schools. For example, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act provides funds to be invested in tested solutions to protect schools from shootings disasters (Braun, 2019). In addition, schools should have standby security officers who can intervene and neutralize the threat in case of active shooting incidents.

9 The social environment is important in addressing hate-based gun violence in the U.S. Although the shooter had mental health issues, he manifested hatred for other people, particularly African Americans, Muslims, and immigrants (Berne, 2019). The hatred is influenced by the social environment, underscoring the need to address the root cause of the disaster rather than wait until it happens to respond. Prevention should be prioritized to protect schools and society from mass shooting disasters (Davis, 2021). Most importantly, the social environment is impacted by many factors, which include the politics of the day, social media, mainstream media, and family background.

10 References Berne, E.C. (2019). Guns and the #neveragain Movement: What Would It Take to End Mass Shootings? Capstone.

Braun, E. (2019). Never Again: The Parkland Shooting and the Teen Activists Leading a Movement. Lerner Publications.

Chuck, E., Johnson, A., & Siemaszko, C. (2018). 17 killed in mass shooting at high school in Parkland, Florida. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-respond-shootingparkland-florida-high-school-n848101.

Drayton, T. (2018). Coping with gun violence. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. Davis, J. (2021). American School Shooting the Growing Problem of Mass Shooting for Homeland Security. ReferencePoint Press.

Shear, M. D. (2018). Trump says he would have rushed in unarmed to stop school shootings. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/us/politics/trump-school-shooterflorida.html.