Local schools assess emergency procedures

Captain James Fryhoff of the Ventura County Sheriff’s department set out to create a new safety program in 2007 after being assigned to supervise three school resource officers in the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

“My captain at the time, Randy Pentis, asked me what we [as local law enforcement] were doing for school safety,” Fryhoff said. “But he wanted to come up with something that would make our schools safer.”

Fryhoff enrolled in a class in San Diego focused on forming threat assessments based off of findings from the Safe School Initiative. Fryhoff went on to create a program by researching other national school districts that had already implemented programs based on the prevention model.

“It’s called ‘threat assessment,’” Fryhoff said. “Schools publically identify team members that [can be contacted] if a student or adult hears a student making a threat.”

Fryhoff compiled all his findings into a comprehensive training packet, which he distributed throughout the county. Threat assessment team members then ask students questions and relay serious threats to local law enforcement.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about getting the child the help they need so they don’t lash out or cause an attack,” Fryhoff said. “Because even if we make an arrest, they are not going to be in jail forever for a threat.”

Since the inception of the program, Fryhoff has conducted several training sessions and presentations about the program for school administrators throughout Ventura County.

Ventura, Ojai and Conejo Unified School Districts, among others, have implemented the threat assessment program and training for school administrators.

“We aren’t just saying this might happen. Although the chances are very slim, the reality is, it can happen,” Fryhoff said. “The better we can prepare [ourselves] in advance, the better chance we have of survival.”