SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Sheriff’s Association Committee on Policing and Safeguarding Schools (C-PASS) held the first-ever C-PASS School Safety Training Conference at the Saratoga Casino Hotel, Feb. 21-23.
The three-day conference focused on training for School Resource Officers as well as school personnel through presentation and training exercises that examined and analyzed past school incidents; Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training; mental health education; bullying in schools; social media trends; understanding unique need and topics relative to the LGBTQIA community and students with disabilities; and officer wellness.
The event drew more than 120 law enforcement and educational leaders from across the state, as well as featured nationally recognized speakers from across the country including: John Romano: Columbia High School incident; Carly Posey: Sandy Hook Elementary; Frank DeAngelis: Leadership Lessons from Columbine and Beyond; Assistant Chief Gary Forward, Saratoga Springs Police Department: Santa Fe School shooting; John Curnutt: Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training; Director Kenneth Cooper, Community Outreach and Youth Services, Saratoga Springs Police Department: Anatomy of a Lockdown; Dr. Gianleo Duca, Ballston Spa High School Principal, & Daina Sisk, Ballston Spa High School Assistant Principal: Dignity for All Students Act; Vernon House: LGBTQIA and Sensitivity; Pam Aini: Students with Disabilities ; Deputy Zachary Cicardi, Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office: Officer Wellness
Additional Breakout sessions led by federal and local law enforcement staff focused on social media and digital communication trends popular among students; drug awareness; and National Threat Assessment Center (NTASC) assets for SROs and local law enforcement agencies and analysis of recent active school shooter cases.
C-PASS is not bound by a single state agency, or under any state mandate, therefore it can be flexible and swift in tackling new school issues.
For information about C-PASS, visit www.c-pass.org. For more information about the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, visit saratogacountysheriff.org.
