Lakewood renews emphasis on school security
BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer

LAKEWOOD - In the aftermath of a Nov. 12 melee at Lakewood High School that resulted in the arrest of 11 high school students and one adult, school administrators, parents, police and security personnel gathered on Dec. 4 in the high school library to discuss security in the township's schools.

The individuals who were arrested at the high school last month were charged with one or more of the following: aggravated assault on police officers, aggravated assault on school officials, riot, failure to disperse, terrorist threats and being a disorderly person.

Community members were invited by the Board of Education to take part in last week's meeting with representatives of Care Security Systems, which was hired by the board to conduct security assessments in conjunction with the Lakewood Police Department at Lakewood High School, Lakewood Middle School and the Lakewood Alternate Schools.

Representatives of the security firm visited the schools and evaluated them prior to the community meeting.

School board attorney Michael Inzelbuch said the purpose of the meeting was to give parents a chance to voice their concerns and to enlighten administrators about breaches within school security.

After listening to the parents' comments and concerns, Inzelbuch said Care Security Systems would provide the district with a report by Dec. 14. The board will consider additional action after reviewing the report.

In the meantime, Inzelbuch asked parents to immediately notify the administration about any safety issues that may occur. He encouraged residents to use the school district's anonymous tip line at (732) 905-3559.

Although officials are attempting to make Lakewood's schools safer, some parents and community members were not happy with the firm that was chosen to conduct the assessment.

According to James Waters, parent and community activist, the community was not part of the selection process. Waters said that in the past the district hired people from within the community to help secure the schools. Since the loss of those individuals, Waters said, there has been a loss of continuity.

Waters said he advocates for "education, not enforcement." He said he was concerned about Care Security Systems and wants to know if the firm "has any background dealing with urban settings and understanding the culture of the children."

"I do not want this to turn into a prison environment. Everyone here is not involved

in gangs," Waters said. "There are underlying root problems such as the current

economic structure, substandard living conditions and no activities for the youths that need to be addressed. They all can't be solved with enforcement. We need to be proactive before enforcement is needed. There needs to be no due process failures and hearings before suspension.

"On the day the incident happened at the high school there were children who were suspended prior to due process. There was a blanket suspension of all those kids; just because they were arrested doesn't mean they were guilty," Waters said.

He said it was determined after the suspensions were made that we "found out that some of those students were not involved."

"If we teach children society is fair, then we have got to be fair and not criminalize them," Waters said.

Board member Leonard Thomas shared Waters' sentiments. According to him, the home-grown security personnel who were in the district made a difference."

Due to those individuals having a vested interest in the community, "they were able to reach our children," Thomas said.

Speaking about the high school and security issues, school board President Chet Galdo said, "There are 97 openings in this particular building. When these buildings were built no one thought of these issues … We are only asking parents to work with us."

Police Chief Robert Lawson said his department will continue to work with the school district to achieve a desired level of security.

At this time there are two officers assigned to the schools on a full-time basis. Patrol Officer Jerome Cohen is assigned to the high school and Patrol Officer Patrick Carney is assigned to the middle school.

The police department's DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer Pete LaRosa is in Iraq for a second tour of military duty. Lawson said another officer would be assigned to take his place.

Lawson said police would be analyzing the school's policy on trespassers, emergency lockdown, handling suspicious packages, student identification cards and student parking.

According to information provided by the school district, "The interior and exterior of Lakewood High School will be checked for current and future placement of electronic security devices such as cameras and motion detectors. The result of both analyses will be presented in a final report, outlining short- and long-term goals."