In June, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced increased efforts by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy and Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) to aid educators and law enforcement in preparing for and reacting to a potentially violent school incident.
As part of
the new efforts, BCI is offering use of its drones to take free aerial photographs of school buildings for inclusion in school safety plans. Local law enforcement, in coordination with school administrators, can request that BCI agents take aerial photographs of schools in their area by calling 855-BCI-OHIO (224-6446). BCI will upload the photos to the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG) to be included with school safety plans.
Attorney General DeWine also released a new video series produced by OPOTA called “Active Shooter Response: An Educator's Guide,” which provides guidance on how educators and law enforcement can work together to prepare for and react to a violent school incident, such as a school shooting. It includes videos about coded language, calling 911, and other topics.
Available at
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/SchoolSafety, the videos are designed to be accessed at a time that’s convenient for the viewer and used as conversation starters as schools prepare for the new school year.