ADAM: WELCOME BACK TO CLOSE-UP. IF YOU’RE PARENT, SCHOOL SAFETY IS A PARAMOUNT CONCERN THESE DAYS. WHILE LAWMAKERS DEBATE THE BEST APPROACH TO TAKE ON FIREARMS , GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE WORKING WITHIN THE CURRENT SYSTEM TO MAKE SCHOOLS AS SECURE AND HARDENED AS POSSIBLE TO POTENTIAL THREATS. JOINING US THIS MORNING TO DISCUSS IS THE NEWLY MINTED ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF SAFETY, PERRY PLUMMER. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. PERRY: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ADAM: FROM A TAXPAYER PERSPECTIVE, WHAT DO WE PURCHASE FOR THE SCHOOL SECURITY ENHANCEMENT. PERRY: THE $30 MILLION IS TO MAKE SURE THE SCHOOLS HAVE THE SAFETY ENVIRONMENT THEY NEED TO PROTECT THEIR STUDENTS FROM A HARDENING STANDPOINT, FROM A SYSTEM THAT THEY KNOW WHO IS COMING INTO THEIR SCHOOLS AND GIVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE OUT. THAT $30 MILLION WAS KEY. 90% OF SCHOOLS WILL RECEIVE SOME KIND OF SECURITY THIS YEAR. I DON’T KNOW OF ANY OTHER STATE DOING THAT. THAT MADE THE SCHOOLS AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THAT WAS ONLY ONE PIECE AND WHEN HE TOOK ANOTHER LONG AT OTHER LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS. ADAM: WHAT HAS GONE INTO A? PERRY: THERE ARE VESTED GOALS -- VESTIBULES AND CAMERAS. ADAM: I NOTICE IN ONE AREA YOU GOT IN AND THAN THERE IS A SIDE CORRIDOR WHERE THEY TAKE A LOOK AT YOU AGAIN BEFORE THEY LET YOU INTO THE SCHOOL. PERRY: WE HAD SCHOOLS WERE APPARENT OR HE PERSON WOULD COME TO A SCHOOL AND WALK THROUGH THE CAFETERIA TO GET TO THE FRONT OFFICE TO DO THEIR BUSINESS. THAT IS NOT A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. ADAM: THERE HAS BEEN TALK OF DISRUPTING THE PATHWAY TO VIOLENCE. THE GOVERNOR TALKS ABOUT TRYING TO GET THE KID WAS ISOLATED BEFORE THE PROBLEMS BECOME EXTERNALIZED. WHAT IS GOING ON IN REGARD TO DISRUPTING THE PATHWAY TO VIOLENCE? PERRY: WE HAD A TASK FORCE REPORT AND THE PATHWAY TO VIOLENCE STARTS WITH A GRIEVANCE AND WORKS THROUGH RESEARCH AND ATTACK AND THEN REUNIFICATION. WE HAD TO LOOK AT THE PATHWAY TO VIOLENCE AND SAY, WHERE CAN WE DISRUPT THE PATHWAY TO VIOLENCE? IT WILL BE IN SCHOOL CULTURE AND THAT IS WHERE WE NEED TO BE LONG-TERM AND FOCUSING ON SOCIAL -EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND HOW WE DEAL WITH EACH OTHER SO THERE ISN’T A GRIEVANCE AND YOU NEVER GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL. IF THEY GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND ARE IN CRISIS, THAT WOULD BE RESEARCH. HOW DO WE FIND THE PEOPLE IN CRISIS AND GET THEM THE HELP THEY NEED SO THERE IS NEVER AN ATTACK. THAT WILL CERTAINLY PAY THE MOST DIVIDENDS. WITH DONE WORK IN THAT AREA. AS YOU PROGRESS UP, YOU GET TO THE ATTACK SITUATION. IF THEY TRY TO BREACH THE SCHOOL, THAT IS WHERE THE HARDENING COMES IN. HOW TO GIVE THEM LONG ENOUGH TO INTERVENE? ANOTHER IS REUNIFICATION. THE REGIONAL CIRCUITS ARE SAFE AND WHAT IS GOING ON IMMEDIATELY. REUNIFICATION AND THEN RECOVERY. WHAT WE FOCUS ON IS WE ARE DOING THEM SIMULTANEOUSLY BECAUSE WE NEED TO DISRUPT THE PATHWAY OF VIOLENCE WHATEVER WE CAN. OUR BIGGEST SUCCESS WILL BE SCHOOL CULTURE. HALF OF THE SCHOOLS HAVE DOWNLOADED OUR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING PROGRAM. THEY HAVE BEEN ON CHANNEL NINE TALKING ABOUT THAT. HALF OF THE SCHOOLS OR MORE THAN HALF HAVE DOWNLOADED THAT TO START CHANGING THE CULTURE IN SCHOOL. THE MENTAL HEALTH PLAN IS OUT AND THE GOVERNOR TALKED ABOUT THAT HERE WE NOT WAITING 10 YEARS TO IMPLEMENT THE MENTAL HEALTH PLAN. IF SOMEONE IS IN CRISIS COME WITH A ARE RECOGNIZE, THEIR BEEN 5000 SCHOOL PERSONNEL TRAINED IN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID. THAT IS TREMENDOUS. IF SOMEONE IS IN CRISIS, HAVE YOU RECOGNIZE THAT AND GET THEM THE HELP THEY NEED? THAT IS IMPORTANT WHERE WE NEVER GET TO THE COURSE WITH A HARDENING MEASURES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IT WAS IMPORTANT TO PUT THE MONEY INTO THE SCHOOLS BECAUSE THAT WAS THE QUICKEST WAY TO MAKE OUR SCHOOLS SAFE AND ALLOW US TO FOCUS ON LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS. ADAM: HAS THE RESEARCH IDENTIFIED WHAT IS EFFECTIVE IN DIVERTING THESE YOUNG MEN FROM THE PATHWAY WHEN THEY ARE DANCED ALONG THE PATH? PERRY: CERTAINLY TRY TO LOOK AT THE TRIGGER POINTS. THERE IS NO TRUE PROFILE BUT THERE ARE CHARACTERISTICS. IN THE REPORT, WE INCLUDED SUICIDE AND SUICIDE PREVENTION BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE PERPETRATORS HAVE SHOWN SIGNS OF SUICIDE EARLY ON. IF WE CAN RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS AND INTERVENED, AND WE NEVER HAVE THOSE ATTACKS. IT IS WHERE WE WANT TO BE. IT COMES DOWN TO STUDENTS WATCHING OUT FOR. BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE WILL. WHERE INTO A SEA SOMETHING-SAY SOMETHING CAMPAIGN. IF YOU ARE A STUDENT AND YOU HAVE A CRISIS, YOU CAN CALL THE HELPLINE AND GET THE PERSON THE HELP. WE NEED TO GET PEOPLE HELP FOR THEY GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE HAVE TO INTERVENE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OR EMERGENCY SERVICES. ADAM: DOES THE STATE GET INFORMATION ON TROUBLED INDIVIDUALS BEFORE THEY INTERACT WITH THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM? PERRY: IT IS AN INTERESTING QUESTION. PERSONAL RIGHTS ARE A BIG DEAL. WE WANT TO GET TO THEM BEFORE THEY HAVE TO GET INTO THE SYSTEM. BEFORE LAW-ENFORCEMENT US TO GET THEM INTO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, WE WANT TO INTERVENE. RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS EARLIER AND RECOGNIZE WHETHER THAT BE TEACHER OR A FELLOW STUDENT, THE JANITOR, WE DON’T KNOW THEY WILL REACH OUT TO OR TALK TO. THE ONE THING THAT IS TRUE IS IN ALL THESE ACTIVE SHOOTER CASES, SCHOOLS AND NOT SCHOOLS, SOMEBODY KNEW SOMETHING. YOU NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS AND GET THEM HELP. ADAM: WHAT IS THE TOP PRIORITY IN FISCAL COMES FORWARD AND SAYS WE NEED SOME HELP? WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING THEY CAN DO? PERRY: MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE TASK FORCE REPORT. IT IS 59 RECOMMENDATIONS AND WE HAVE ACTION ITEM WORKING GROUP THAT MEETS EVERY MONTH AND WITH DEVELOPING ACTION ITEMS TO HELP SCHOOLS AND WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS THEY FEEL ARE RIGHT FOR THEIR SCHOOL. THE FIRST THING A SCHOOL SHOULD DO IS MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE REPORT AND REVIEW IT AND TRY TO WORK THROUGH THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WORK FOR THEM, BOTH FISCALLY AND OPERATIONALLY. THAT IS THE FIRST THING THEY CAN DO. SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING IS REALLY THE KEY. GAS CHEMICAL THAT. WE HAVE A ONE STOP SHOP SCHOOL RESEARCH PAGE THAT WAS DEVELOPED IN WE HAVE STUFF FOR PARENTS, FOR TEACHERS, FOR SUPERINTENDENTS, FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIRE, AND RESOURCES THEY CAN IMPLEMENT AND WE ARE POPULATING MORE RESOURCES ALL THE TIME. THE ONE-STOP SHOP WAS JUST DEVELOPED. THAT IS GO THERE AND LOOK AT THE STUFF THAT IS THERE AND DOWNLOADED AND LET’S START HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS SAFE. IT IS ABOUT PREVENTING AN ACT OF VIOLENCE BUT ALSO ABOUT MAKING STUDENTS FEEL SAFE. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THIS DUNES WHO FEEL SAFE -- THAT STUDENTS WHO FEEL SAFE GO ON TO DO BETTER. WE GOT 100 STUDENTS TOGETHER AND WERE TALKING TO THEM IN VERY FEW SAID THEY TRULY FEEL SAFE AT THEIR SCHOOL. THAT IS A PROBLEM. THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO INTO THE SCHOOL AND KNOW THEY ARE SAFE. WE NEED TO DO EVERY POSSIBLE TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS SAFE THAT THEY CAN LEARN AND AN EXCEL IN. ADAM: ARE YOU CONFIDENT THE STATE IS DOING EVERYTHING AND AT A SAFE LEVEL? PERRY: I’M CONFIDENT WE ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH AND DO MORE THAN ANY STATE WHEN IT COMES TO EVERY ASPECT OF SCHOOL SAFETY. THE $30 MILLION FOR 500 SCHOOLS, 90% WILL GET THE UPGRADE. NO OTHER STATES ARE DOING THAT. THE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING, NEW HAMPSHIRE WAS THE FIRST STATE IN THE NATION TO ADOPT IT STATEWIDE. THOSE TYPES OF THINGS ARE LEADING THE WAY. WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE ARE NOT WHERE WE NEED TO BE. WE NEED TO KEEP TALKING WITH STUDENTS AND POLICE AND FIRE AND ADMINISTRATORS TO MAKE SURE WE’RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN DO EVERYDAY GOODWILL SUNDAY TO CREATE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS -- WE CAN DO EVERYDAY. WE ALSO NEED TO CREATE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS. WE CAN CREATE A CULTURE OF OPERATION WHERE THE SAFEST PLACE HAS BEEN DETERMINED AND THAT IS WHERE THEY DO THE READING EVERY TIME. WHEN YOU SAY COME TO YOUR READING LOCATION,