Armed School Guards Lack Mental Health Screening

Monday, January 05, 2015

GoLocalPDX News Team

Armed security guards in Washington and Oregon are not required by the state to undergo mental health screenings. With at least six Washington school districts and employing private security and Oregon districts looking at options to beef up school security, critics are alarmed for the safety of schools.

In Oregon and Washington, private security guards are not required to take mental health or psychological tests to carry a firearm. Only four states—Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Delaware—legally require mental health screening, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Professionals who work with firearms should undergo the proper screening to ensure safety, according to Phillip Zerzan, head of security at Portland State University and former state policeman.

“Anyone who has to make use-of-force decisions should be rigorously screened, including a thorough background investigation as well as psychological evaluations,” Zerzan said. “It’s very important.”

The lack of screening is gaining attention as private security guards are making their way into school systems.

“It disturbs me that a daycare worker can have higher standards than an armed security guard,” said Lisa Thurau-Gray, executive director of the police and youth interactions advocacy nonprofit Strategies for Youth. “I don’t think an unregulated force of folks who are armed in schools is in anyone's interest.”

Many schools across the U.S., such as Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, have added armed security to their campuses after school shootings in recent years. Just within the past year, the Northwest has witnessed school shootings at Seattle Pacific University in Washington, as well as Reynolds High School and Rosemary Anderson High School in the Portland area.

In 2013, at least seven states had armed guards in schools. Kevin Starrett, director of the Oregon Firearms Federation, said that a handful of Oregon school districts have armed security, mostly in the form of police officers.

“It makes sense—schools are places that make appealing targets to a crazy or evil person,” Starrett said. “When it does happen, innocent people are totally defenseless. It’s foolish not to prepare.”

Joe Walden, legislative chairman for the Washington State Rifle and Pistol Association and former lobbyist, said armed personnel in schools is one solution to security problems.

“It’s a controversial issue on both sides,” Walden said. “But if it’s done right there’s more protection than risk.”

Portland State University will be adding armed police to its campus security over the next three years, and OHSU recently upgraded its security measures as well.

Budget Issues
However, Starrett said many rural districts do not have the resources to provide full time, or even any police presence on site. In this case, private security is a cost-effective option. Ridgefield School District in Clark County, Washington, switched to armed security guards in 2013 to increase security and save money.

Penny Okamoto, executive director of Cease Fire Oregon was alarmed at the idea that security at schools might come down to budget concerns.

“I would not want the security of my child based on what’s cheapest,” Okamoto said. “I would want a highly trained security person there.”

Although armed security traditionally comes in the form of police officers, many of Oregon’s more rural counties have limited manpower. The Grants Pass School District hires armed police security, but there is only one officer working half time for all nine schools, according to Sgt. Todd Moran with the Grants Pass Police.

Already some public places have switched to private armed protection. The Medford and Redmond airports hired security guards from the Northwest firm RAMS Security, instead of local law enforcement.

“We got those contracts because a police officer costs $40 to $50 an hour, while an armed security officer costs between $27 to $30 an hour,” said Dwayne Cole, regional manager for RAMS Security.

State Regulations
State requirements for private security training and screening are more lax compared to law enforcement. In Washington, armed security guards must undergo a background check and a firearm training course. However, there is no mental health screening.

The Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) oversees regulated training and licensing for armed security. Under Oregon law, private security companies are required to check if their employees are certified by the DPSST program.

The DPSST conducts criminal background checks and sees if applicants have been committed to a mental health institution or have a recorded mental illness that legally prohibits them from owning a firearm. However, no mental health evaluations or psychological tests are performed. Even with the legal requirements, many private firms bypass the system altogether.

“We receive a fair amount of complaints, primarily about security companies or guards not in compliance with our regulations,” said Karen Evans, investigator with the DPSST.

In the three month period between July and September 2014, 11 violations were issued by the DPSST against security guards or companies working without required certification.

Security firms rarely conduct their own mental health screening, according to security professionals.

“Mental health screenings are extremely expensive,” Cole said. “Most companies, their profit margin doesn’t absorb that. You hear about companies saying, ‘We just need a warm body.’ They’re not going to be so picky.”

Guards in Northwest Schools
Security firm Phoenix Protective Corp has guards in Ridgefield, Mount Adams, White Swan, Toppenish, Wapato, and West Valley, Washington schools and has been working towards getting hired in Oregon schools, according to spokesman JC Shah. Shah said the company has an extensive application process, but no official mental health screening.

In Oregon, the Salem Keizer School District will contract armed security for after-hours patrols or special circumstances, according to Lt. David Okada with the Salem Police.

If more schools do make the switch to private security guards, police unions and state legislators may push for tighter regulations, according to Bruce McCain, a lawyer and retired captain for the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.

“Anytime the private sector muscles into the public sector, [the union] will make noise,” McCain said. “Unions don’t want to see police jobs farmed out to private firms and advocates in schools will be talking about how standing guard over children isn’t the same as a warehouse.”

Okamoto doesn’t believe armed guards are necessarily the answer. In the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, the on-campus police officer was essentially outgunned by shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, Okamoto said.

“At the Navy Yards shooting [in Washington D.C. in Sept. 2013], the first thing the shooter did was kill the guard,” Okamoto said.

She doesn’t like the idea of anyone coming onto a campus with a gun, whether they are security or not. Okamoto said rather than having a campus arms race, public policy should focus more on prevention.

“We should be talking about preventing minors from accessing weapons,” Okamoto said. “And let’s make sure we’ve got great mental health care, dare I say, free mental health care in this country.”

Related Slideshow: Oregon’s 50 Most Violent Cities

GoLocalPDX ranked Oregon's most violent cities based on the latest Federal Bureau of Investigation crime data from 2013. See if your city made the list.

Armed School Guards Lack Mental Health Screening

Related Slideshow: Oregon’s 50 Most Violent Cities

#50 Molalla

#49 Hillsboro

#48 Milwaukie

#47 Cornelius

#46 Gaston

#45 Fairview

#44 Rockaway Beach

#43 Aumsville

#42 Ashland

#41 Springfield

#40 Scappose

#39 Keizer

#38 Cottage Grove

#37 Umatilla

#36 Central Point

#35 Lebanon

#34 Phoenix

#33 Gladstone

#32 Carlton

#31 Tillamook

#30 McMinnville

#29 La Grande

# 28 Banks

#27 Bend

#26 Mount Angel

#25 Boardman

#24 Eugene

#23 Prineville

#22 Eagle Point

#21 Dallas

#20 Baker City

#19 Stayton

#18 Grants Pass

#17 Pendleton

#16 Redmond

#15 Salem

#14 Woodburn

#13 Forest Grove

#12 Astoria

#11 Klamath Falls

#10 Coos Bay

#9 Gervais

#8 Lincoln City

#7 Lakeview

#6 Newport

#5 Toledo

#4 Portland

#3 Gresham

#2 Ontario

#1 Medford

Related Articles

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Most Popular Articles

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast