After 20+ years in law enforcement and founding Solaren Risk Management, I’ve learned that 93% of school shootings are preventable through proper security measures. Here’s why every school needs trained professionals and what it takes to protect our children effectively.

When people ask me about putting armed security in schools, I often hear the same concern: “I don’t want my kid in a school with someone carrying a gun.” I understand that fear completely. But here’s what I tell them — you don’t want your child in a school with someone who has a gun and bad intentions either. The only way to stop that threat is with a trained professional who knows what they’re doing.

After spending over two decades in law enforcement and building Solaren Risk Management from the ground up, I’ve learned that prevention and preparation aren’t just buzzwords — they’re the difference between tragedy and safety. My career began at 19 as a paid intern with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, and through my years there and later with the U.S. Marshal Service, I witnessed firsthand how proper training can prevent the worst outcomes. You can learn more about my background and experience across both law enforcement and private security sectors.

How Do We Know School Shootings Are Preventable?

Research shows that 93% of school shootings are planned and premeditated (https://www.secretservice.gov/protection/ntac). These aren’t spontaneous eruptions of violence — they’re calculated attacks with identifiable warning signs. If something is predictable, it’s preventable. That principle guides everything we do in security.

When Governor Bill Lee announced his plan to put School Resource Officers in every Tennessee school, my first thought was: it’s long overdue. We’re talking about thousands of positions statewide — thousands of trained professionals who could serve as the last line of defense when all other systems fail.

But here’s the critical piece that often gets overlooked: not every security officer can work in a school. Skills required to protect children differ fundamentally from those needed on Broadway or at a corporate facility.

What Makes School Security Different from Regular Security?

Working with children demands a unique skill set that goes far beyond basic security training. Officers working in schools need a minimum of 40 hours of specialized training focused on problems that arise in educational environments. This includes:

• Identifying signs of child abuse
• Recognizing problems at home
• Intervention techniques
• Deescalation methods specifically designed for juveniles

Deescalation with a teenager is completely different from managing conflict between adults. Young people process authority differently, respond to stress in unique ways, and require officers who can serve multiple roles — sometimes as a friend, sometimes as a parental figure, sometimes as the quiet professional presence that provides reassurance just by being there.

At Solaren, when we train officers for school environments, we emphasize that they’re working with some of the most vulnerable populations they’ll ever encounter. Our approach must be fundamentally different. Officers become part of the school community, not just security contractors.

Can Technology Replace Human Security Officers?

I’m a strong advocate for leveraging technology in security operations. At Solaren, we partner with companies like LiveView Technologies to deploy AI-powered surveillance systems, license plate readers, and mobile command centers. These tools are incredibly valuable, but they have critical limitations in educational settings.

A surveillance system can detect when someone enters a building after hours, but it takes human judgment to distinguish between a janitor working late and a genuine threat. Technology can identify faces and track movement patterns, but it requires a trained professional to assess intent, read body language, and make split-second decisions that could save lives.

Human perception processes context in ways that AI simply cannot match. When I watch our officers work, whether at a downtown Nashville event or a school facility, I see them picking up on subtle environmental cues, building relationships with regular occupants, and developing institutional knowledge that no algorithm can replicate.

As Bethany Gill, our Chief of Operations, notes: “A lot of people think that it takes away from the physical security aspect, but it really doesn’t. If anything, it supplements it. You still have to have somebody that audits what that AI is detecting. It still makes mistakes.”

How Do You Build Trust Between Security and Students?

One of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been watching security professionals transform from unknown faces into trusted community members. School security works best when relationships exist between officers and the people they protect.

A well-trained SRO becomes someone students feel comfortable approaching with problems. They notice changes in behavior, pick up on concerning conversations, and serve as an early warning system for potential issues. During my time at the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, I worked on community initiatives like “Toys for Tots” and the “Sober Ride Campaign” (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-byrd-iii-4415a056). These experiences taught me that law enforcement and security work best when they’re integrated into the community they serve.

What Training Do School Security Officers Need?

Training is where many security companies fall short, but it’s where we’ve made our biggest investment at Solaren. Our training coordinator, Darrell Webb, is active law enforcement who brings current, practical knowledge to every session.

Our comprehensive training includes:

• Report writing and documentation
• Emergency response protocols
• First aid and medical response
• Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC)
• Child development and psychology
• Educational law and regulations
• Emergency evacuation procedures

Recently, one of our guards used TECC training to help save someone’s life when they were stabbed outside a downtown Nashville venue. That level of preparation makes all the difference between life and death.

How Much Does Professional School Security Cost?

I won’t pretend that implementing comprehensive school security is inexpensive. Governor Lee’s proposal includes $30 million for 122 additional Homeland Security agents and $8 million for behavioral health professionals (https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/gov-lee-announces-140-million-school-safety-plan/). Most of this investment focuses on prevention—identifying problems before they escalate.

This preventive approach aligns with everything I’ve learned in law enforcement and private security. It’s far more cost-effective to invest in training, relationships, and early intervention than to deal with the aftermath of a tragedy. Economic arguments for professional school security become even stronger when you consider liability and insurance implications for districts that don’t invest in proper protection.

How Should Schools Implement Security Programs?

As we implement these programs, standardization will be crucial. Every SRO should receive the same high-quality training regardless of which district employs them. Our profession demands consistency in standards, ongoing education, and regular performance evaluation.

• Effective school security requires several key elements:
• Coordination with local law enforcement
• Integration with emergency management protocols
• Ongoing relationship-building with students, faculty, and families
• Regular training updates and recertification
• Clear protocols for different threat scenarios

At Solaren, we work closely with Metro Nashville Police and other agencies because security works best as a collaborative effort. As Bethany Gill, our Chief of Operations, explains: “We work directly with Metro Nashville in a lot of capacities. We’ve built a really good rapport with them because it is supposed to be a very collaborative relationship.”

Final Thoughts

After building a company from a two-person startup to a regional security leader, I understand both the challenges and the opportunities in this industry. We have no more precious resource in this world than our kids.

When physical security measures fail, when prevention systems have failed, the only thing standing between tragedy and safety is a trained professional ready to respond. Our children deserve the highest level of protection we can provide. That protection comes from people, not just technology, and it requires comprehensive training and professional standards that make the difference between tragedy and safety.

Last updated: February 2025