Menifee PD takes steps to increase school safety

City and school officials meet together in the annual Education Summit at City Hall. (Staff photo)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Menifee Police Chief Chris Karrer this week outlined the department’s plans in increasing safety on local school campuses.

Karrer made the comments during the annual Education Summit, a meeting that brings city officials together with local school administrators to discuss key issues in the area.

A key topic was threats made at or against local schools. Karrer reported that, since 2021, there have been 126 such threats involving Menifee schools. This total includes threats made by individuals against another student and threats to the school made on social media.

One thing Menifee PD has done to address the situation is the return last year of School Resource Officers to Heritage and Paloma Valley high schools (the Sheriff’s Department provides an SRO for Liberty High). This year, an SRO was added at Ethan A. Chase Middle School.

Police have also increased patrols at and near local schools, Karrer said. Meet and greet gatherings between police and school staff are also a regular occurrence. In addition, Active Shooter Response Training has been held at Santa Rosa Academy, Heritage High School, and with Menifee Union School District staff. More such trainings will be scheduled.

“We have advanced ways to track social media threats,” Karrer said. “We have tools that look for key words and images online.” Suspects of social media threats are usually identified within 12 hours, he said.

Karrer said a goal is to have a Knox box placed at each school for police use. This is a serialized box, placed outside the entrance to the school, with keys and maps that allow police to enter any part of the school if it is on lockdown. Fire Department Knox boxes already are placed at most schools.

“We also need digital floor plans,” Karrer said. “That will help us in knowing the layout and getting internal access to the school.”

Menifee PD also is taking steps to increase awareness among teens of driver safety issues. A recently approved program is the Impact Teen Drivers program -- a 60-minute presentation given to students in small groups. The City Council is also considering a suggestion from the PD to present more “Every 15 Minutes” programs – a two-day event in which police work with student volunteers to simulate real-life scenarios, including a fatal car crash.

The lack of driver education classes in the school curriculum was expressed as a concern. Karrer suggested that perhaps part of students’ required volunteer hours be driver safety classes offered by the PD and Highway Patrol.

School administrators are also seeking ways to make their campuses more safe and secure. Santa Rosa Academy has incorporated a CPR program into its high school curriculum. Modifications are being made at schools in the Perris Union High School District to create a single point of entry, said Superintendent Grant Bennett.

Ongoing needs include sidewalks on the rural roads surrounding Liberty High School, which is a more complex issue because the school is located outside the city limits. Council member Lesa Sobek said city officials have reached out to County Supervisor Chuck Washington for help in this area.

MUSD Superintendent Jennifer Root thanked city officials for the placement of a traffic signal at the intersection of La Piedra Road and Menifee Road, which she said has helped increase safety outside Bell Mountain Middle School. Robert Hennings, Superintendent of Santa Rosa Academy, reported that traffic congestion continues to be a problem around his school and that “No U-Turn” signs would be helpful.