Host: David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database
Guest: Justin Seals, school security director, school police officer, and military veteran.
We discussed:
Justin’s career as a Navy Corpsman, Army Chaplain, patrol officer, school police officer, SRO unit supervisor, and school security director.
How school policing has changed and evolved post-Columbine, post-Sandy Hook, post-Parkland, and post-Uvalde.
Differences in safety and security at public schools compared to private schools.
Systemic gun violence, gang violence, and teens who habitually carry guns every day on campus.
Dealing with students who are armed with knives and guns in ways that doesn’t risk escalating a police intervention into a shooting on campus.
Being a role model for students, creating relationships, and being proactive in defusing conflicts.
Mentality that a successful school police officer needs to have each day is completely different from a patrol officer working on the street.
David Riedman is the creator of the K-12 School Shooting Database. Listen to my recent interviews on Freakonomics Radio, New England Journal of Medicine, and my article on CNN about AI and school security.
Episode 4: School policing is 5% law enforcement. An officer should be an educator, mentor, and problem solver.