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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Hammer and concrete block used as weapons in attack ... Emergency Services, Oct. 31 ... OR-7 goes off the radar ... Hammer and concrete block used as weapons in attack ... Emergency Services, Oct. 31 ... OR-7 goes off the radar ... OUR VIEW Our View: Sheriff makes a tough, but correct call Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 30, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Oct. 30, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News It's hard to imagine, given recent events, a sheriff dropping what's purported to be a safeguard for schoolchildren. But Jackson County Sheriff Corey Falls has done just that — and he was right to do so. Falls decided earlier this year that his department would no longer maintain an elaborate video monitoring and security system installed at Shady Cove School and the sheriff's office by his predecessor at a cost of nearly $280,000. His reasoning was that having trained officers in the immediate vicinity made more sense than having a system that's monitored from the sheriff's office some 18 miles away. The funds used to purchase the system came from drug forfeiture money, which couldn't have been used to hire officers. But there were ongoing costs associated with keeping the system and the bigger question of whether it made sense to have such a system in one relatively small school out of the more than 50 schools that exist in the county. School shootings are so random that you might as well try to predict where the first raindrop will fall from a passing cloud. That is one of the infuriating aspects of these shootings — they come without warning and with no apparent rhyme or reason as to the location. The pattern is distressingly familiar in only one regard — the murderers are typically young men with some mental health issues and access to guns. It would be wonderful to have guaranteed safeguards in all our schools against the violence we've seen perpetrated too many times, most recently at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg. But there's no guarantee that even an expensive system like the Nexar platform installed at Shady Cove would prevent a tragedy. In the minutes it would take an officer to respond to a call, even if they are close by, unspeakable tragedy can occur. Efforts to expand the Nexar program to Crater and Eagle Point high schools stalled when a federal grant was not received. In denying the request, the grant reviewer noted the "significant cost" — $3 million for the equipment and a program to work with at-risk youth — and said it would not be feasible for other school districts to adopt it. If schools and sheriffs' departments had unlimited funding ... but they don't. The loss of the video monitoring doesn't mean Shady Cove School has given up all security. In fact the school probably has better than many, with emergency call buttons and remote-controlled door locks. Medford schools and others have similar security systems. Those sorts of common-sense security systems, combined with police officers close at hand, provide the best security available, short of fortifying our schools at a financial and cultural cost that few would want to take on. Want to help ensure school kids are kept safe? Support your school district and support your local police so they can do just that. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 30, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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