Sheriff’s Office Sponsors FBI Seminar on School Violence

Over 200 New Jersey school officials and members of law enforcement came to the Monmouth County Police Academy earlier this week, for a seminar on school violence.

Tonya DeSa, Special Agent of the FBI and Coordinator of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime presented the seminar “Identifying the Warning Signs of School Violence”. The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office sponsored the event, which comes on the heels of the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

“The safety and security of our children remains a top priority,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “The vital information taken from this seminar, and, applied by members of law enforcement and school administrators, can help keep children out of harm’s way, while at school.”

DeSa reviewed past acts of school violence, and, how the threat of violence from school shooters differs from other acts of violence that occur on school property. In addition, DeSa discussed how to detect behavioral warning signs and assess behavioral risk factors of an individual.

“We have to properly identify the threat,” said DeSa. “That’s the key to preventing school violence from within the school.”

DeSa also discussed the need for schools to create their own threat assessment teams comprised of school personnel and law. The event at the Monmouth County Police Academy was the largest seminar DeSa has conducted on “Identifying Warning Signs of School Violence”, to date.