School break-ins, vandalism and theft have become a growing and expensive problem for the nation’s 84,000 public schools.
How big and how expensive? The U.S. Department of Education estimates that at least one-third of those schools have been targets of these crimes over the last decade. Vandalism alone is costing American schools more than $1 billion a year in repairs, staff time, and increased insurance rates.
According to the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, schools are prime targets for vandalism and break-ins (especially during the summer months) for a variety of reasons:
- They have high concentrations of potential offenders in high-risk age groups.
- They are easily accessible.
- They are symbols of social order and middle-class values.
The design of school buildings and grounds also affects their vulnerability to vandalism and break-ins. Large, modern, sprawling schools have higher rates of incidents versus smaller, compact schools.
In addition, schools that neglect building and grounds maintenance are also targeted more than carefully maintained properties.
In the unfortunate event that a property crime occurs at your school, there are five steps to take immediately to mitigate the incident and prevent future crimes from happening:
- Immediately notify law enforcement to investigate, complete a report, and review any available security video footage of the incident to identify offenders.
- Conduct a damage assessment and identify any stolen assets.
- Contact the school district’s insurance carrier to file a claim, if necessary.
- Review the school’s physical security designs, looking for gaps in protection such as rooftop access, hidden areas around buildings, main entrances not secured by grills or gates, and unsecured windows and skylights.
- Review the school’s electronic security system to determine if the current security equipment and service vendor(s) are providing a strong level of protection.
Sonitrol Great Lakes has been providing comprehensive, monitored and verified electronic security services to schools across the Great Lakes region for more than 50 years. Don’t wait for a damaging and expensive property crime to occur before acting. Contact us for a no-obligation review of your school’s security architecture and systems.