Confiscation of guns up at area schools

School police recovered 67 guns from students in the Clark County School District during the 1997-98 school year, an increase of 15 firearms.

However, that number, which has fluctuated during the past decade, is down from the 132 guns confiscated in 1991-92.

Police released that information Monday in an annual report that compiled and categorized every incident that school police logged into their records during the school year.

Among the other statistics:

In a year during which six school shootings shocked the nation and focused attention on guns in schools, Clark County Superintendent Brian Cram said he was most troubled by the number of firearms found at schools. He said the district plans to target parents with a plea for help.

"The vast majority of weapons children bring to school are weapons children brought from home or from a relative's home," Cram said in an interview Monday.

Still, Cram delivered a familiar message that schools remain among the safest places in America. Children are statistically less likely to be harmed at school than they are in their own homes by a parent, Cram said.

"We want parents to be reassured that we're doing everything possible to make sure that they (students) are safe at school," he said.

Cram also said there are more police and more vigilant teachers and school staffers on the lookout for guns than ever before, a possible reason for the increase in discovery of weapons over the past three years.

School officials also touted their "zero tolerance" policy that removes students from school for good if they bring a gun on campus.

"Kids know that if they bring a weapon to school, the penalty is very serious," district spokesman Ray Willis said.

School police, who produced the report, declined comment, school police spokesman Sgt. Ken Young said.

Cram said burglaries could be down this year in part because of more security cameras in high schools.

School officials said the increase in school crime is to be expected considering growth in the district. Enrollment has increased from 129,245 students in 1991-92 to 190,822 last year.

According to the report, police logged a total 7,710 incidents last year, extending a steady increase from 3,688 in 1991-92. Police made 1,323 arrests and issued 1,707 criminal citations. About 70 percent of the incidents -- 5,320 of them -- fell into the "miscellaneous" category that includes graffiti, vandalism, traffic incidents and runaway cases.

In response to more campus crime, the district in recent years has begun using metal detectors at sporting events and cameras in high schools. Officials also rely on peer-mediation programs and a hotline for students to make anonymous reports of crime.

The school police force also has grown from 38 officers 10 years ago to 105.

"We feel comfortable with the level of safety our school police provide students," Willis said.

archive