Galena Park ISD not waiting for legislators to debate changes to school security

GALENA PARK, Texas (KTRK) -- It's something we all think about after the Uvalde school shooting, but Galena Park ISD is back in session and not waiting for legislators to debate changes to school security.

The district is taking matters into their own hands, deciding what they feel offers the best protection for their students and staff.

"Two things. I want that deputy inside, and I want that vehicle outside, so that anybody coming by knows that there is an armed officer there. But it's important that we have someone there, that can respond immediately, to a threat that happens," GPISD Police Chief Bryan Clements said.

SEE PREVIOUS STORY: Galena Park ISD to add more school officers 3 weeks after mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde

While other districts debated the financial cost of adding officers on campus, GPISD did not. They lobbied the commissioners court for 19 new positions for the district police department. Now, every campus has a full-time officer on site.

"We know these situations happen, and they happen very quickly. And to have someone that is on site, rather than lose a minute to two minutes, responding, and make sure that there is somebody there, that can immediately respond to that threat," Clements said.

ABC13 asked a national school security advisor if bringing more guns on campus is the right answer. He agreed, saying a trained officer offers immediate protection.

SEE ALSO: HISD asks school board to fund police equipment for active attack responses

"They have been trained to respond to deal with an active shooter. They have the communication that's available, that we don't have. They have a radio and if they say active shooter, they are going to get all the support they need," Patrick Fiel of PVF Security Consulting said.

And for Galena Park ISD, Chief Clements said there was only one reason why the district decided to spend the extra money for armed campus officers in the new age we're living in. "Our parents send us their most valuable possession every single day, and we have the responsibility to keep them safe and take care of them," Clements said.

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