Idaho Schools Need a Better System to Keep Kids Safe

Sometimes some obvious crime solutions need some guardrails. Idaho’s HB 415 appears to be one of those proposed laws. It would allow enhanced permit carriers working at public schools to carry firearms on the grounds. We should also note that Idaho schools already can make some of these changes at the local level. Who doesn’t want to protect our kids?

Law enforcement feels the same way but has some concerns about the current bill.

I’ll give you an example. My dad was considered a marksman by the Army. Then he worked for several years as a peace officer. His last line of work was as a Buildings and Grounds Superintendent at my school. He didn’t carry on the job. If he had and had ever leaped into action, how would cops arriving at the scene have determined he wasn’t the bad guy? Local police were all his friends, but many young troopers didn’t know him.

While local officers would’ve likely been the first on the scene, we know these situations quickly bring other first responders to a school. We saw that during a false alarm last year in Twin Falls.

Law enforcement I’ve talked to needs to make identification and quick. If you hear the sirens and you’re a school employee, do you put your gun down? Can you be identified by a specific uniform? Some of our private schools do exactly that.

We’re going to be joined on-air Thursday morning February 8^th by the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho Association of School Resource Officers. Between 8:00 and 9:00. You can listen at Newsradio 96.1 FM, 1310 KLIX, or online at southernidahonews.com. Or download our app for your smartphone.