6:40 a.m. Monday
Prince William police also announced they will increase the number of officers inside public schools today. Here’s more in a statement from the department:
ADVISORY: An increased presence of Police will be in and around the county schools this week. Please do not be alarmed. The pain of last Friday’s events has reached across our nation. We simply want to reassure our children that they are safe in school and our community.
STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — Students, teachers, and staff at public schools in Stafford County on Monday will notice an increased police presence Monday.
It comes after a shooting at Newtown, Conn. elementary school that left 20 children and six adults dead.
Stafford sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy said the stepped up enforcement is not linked to any specific threat made to the school system.
More in a press release from the department:
“The safety and security of the staff and students at the schools has always been a top priority of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office,” states Sheriff Charles Jett. “In light of the tragedy in Connecticut on Friday our enhanced presence at the schools, through out the day, is intended to reassure students, faculty and parents of our commitment to ensuring a safe school day for all parties involved.”
The Sheriff’s Office is fortunate to have an excellent partnership with the schools. This partnership has allowed for the ongoing training and continuous preparation for critical incidents at the schools. A complete review of our school emergency response plans were reviewed over the past summer and every Stafford deputy underwent training, on sight, at the schools. This year the Sheriff’s Office issued radios to each school that allows them to talk directly to the Stafford County Emergency Communication Center (ECC), as well as the responding deputies. Every School Principal was trained by the Director of the ECC in the use of the radios and emergency protocol.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office extends its prayers and condolences to the individuals and families involved in the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, December 14.
On Friday, a caller to Stafford’s 911 call center reported hearing gunshots in the area of the combined campuses of A.G. Wright Middle and Garrisonville elementary schools. While the sound of gunshots was investigated, no threat to students was found and both schools dismissed on a regular schedule.
