Alabama schools, law enforcement sound the alarm about guns in schools, asking for parents - NBC 15 WPMI
MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) — Over this past week, Alabama law enforcement seized six guns from Alabama schools in Dallas County, Pike County and Montgomery County.
Something State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey says needs to stop.
“We are very concerned,” Dr. Mackey said.
Here in Mobile County, threats were made against two schools last week, and while the teen didn’t get ahold of a gun, Mobile County Sherriff’s Office Captain Paul Burch says this tends to happen after major school shootings in other areas.
“When there are school shootings, you know in different parts of the country, we see this pretty frequently like copycat language and such and I’m sure they’ll probably be more in the surrounding areas,” Captain Burch said.
Dr. Mackey is calling on Alabama parents to make some changes.
“Parents have got to take responsibility for their children. Parents have got to make sure they know where their children are, what their children are doing, and what the children are in possession of,” Dr. Mackey said.
The Mobile Police Department says in 2021, “We responded to four instances at Mobile Schools where a juvenile was in possession of a gun, leading to their arrest.”
Over the last several weeks, Mobile Police are sounding the same alarm as Superintendent Mackey, not because the violence is happening at school, but because it’s happening in the community.
“Making sure that you know where your weapons are, securing your weapons, making sure that you know where your children are, making sure that you know who they are with and what they’re doing at all hours of the night, if they should be out, and more importantly having those candid conversations with these teens and preteens so that they understand the consequences,” Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine said.
Mobile Public Safety Director Lawrence Battiste says those consequences can affect the rest of the offender’s life no matter how old they are.
“We take it seriously and the way that we show we take it seriously is hold them accountable, bring charges against them when we can and we ask for the strictest charges that we possibly can, when we get those situations to occur,” Battiste said.
Mackey’s last message to parents is, “Be listening to what your children are saying, to anything that might be going on Facebook or something that might be a perceived threat and then report those to the school and to police.”
Mobile County Public Schools says they have seen an increase in students dealing with mental health issues, having thoughts about depression and even self-harm.
Recent funding has helped them get a total of 13 social workers for the district, but they need everyone to get involved. If you see something, say something.
source: https://mynbc15.com/news/local/alabama-schools-law-enforcement-sound-the-alarm-about-guns-in-schools-asking-for-parents
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