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BRIEF: School safety subcommittee begins hearing from publicHARTFORD, Jan 25, 2013 (The Day - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The first meeting of the governor's school safety subcommittee Friday morning attracted more than 150 people, who started the session with a moment of silence for the Newtown victims. Committee Co-chair Andrew Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, said the group will focus on five areas: infrastructure (lock-down doors, video cameras at entrances and emergency buttons); personnel; emergency plans; mental health care in schools; and "best practices" standards across the state. A school resource officer from Waterford, Steve Whitehead, was asked by state Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford,how large the program is and whether armed guards are necessary. Whitehead said there are four to five officers dedicated to Waterford schools. Waterford Lt. David Burton said he personally did not recommend armed guards. Burton said he was concerned about how frequently an armed guard would have to be trained to be effective. ___ (c)2013 The Day (New London, Conn.) Visit The Day (New London, Conn.) at www.theday.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |