School shootings have become way to common in the United States and that includes the one that happened recently in Richfield, Minnesota.  Former Police Captain Doug Parisi joined me on WJON today.  He is now the Director of Safe Defend where he works to help schools learn and execute the best ways to improve safety in schools and prevent shootings.

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Parisi says violence increased in 2021 and he says reasons for that include a lack of socialization for kids due to learning from home because of the pandemic.  He says he doesn't disagree with the policy but when kids are at home for extensive periods of time they don't socialize as much and don't resolve their issues which leads to problems festering.  Parisi says there is no evidence that acts of violence were acted out due to video games or a normalization of violence in movies or the media.

Parisi says there are ways to help prevent school shootings from happening which include awareness of potential problems.  He says 66 percent of active shooters have told someone that they intent to do this.  Parisi says schools need to do a better job of talking about this.  He says kids have to know it's O.K. to tell someone if you become aware of a threat.  Parisi says he wants to get teachers and school administers to get more involved in searching students for possible weapons when they have reason to believe something could be going on.  He says the safest place for students during an active shooter situation is in a locked classroom.

If you'd like to learn more about more about Safe Defend and to hear my conversation with Doug Parisi it is available below.

 

 

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