The Gazette
Trouble in the bubble?Friday, October 16, 2009 By Ali Valdrighi
In the society we live in today, where murders and kidnappings make daily appearances on the news, a simple smash-and-grab crime is considered relatively mild. However, the fact that even this seemingly minor crime took place at GBHS, where the major “crimes” of the past have been accidental trips of the alarm, has left many people disconcerted. “This has been the only vandalism since I’ve been at GBHS,” McNulty said. “Granite Bay (has always been) a place that everyone has ownership (of) and people don’t really want to hurt the thing they believe in.” Unfortunately, the specifics of this unsettling crime are still very vague. The primary knowledge of the event is that the school alarm went off and the alarm company was contacted causing security officers to respond to the scene and McNulty to be called. It was later discovered that money had been stolen from the attendance office’s cash box. “The (culprit) was able to take all the money that was available to him,” McNulty said. “The approximate was $60 total.” Damage was minimal and mainly limited to the vandal’s attempts to rip the cash box apart. Although not a significant amount of money was actually taken, the simple act of harming school property was unsettling for many people, especially in the office where an air of righteous indignation is apparent, according to McNulty. “People in the office feel like it’s a violation,” McNulty said. “It feels like it’s my property and they took it. If it was that easy to do that, how else can they hurt me?” Although the exact method of entry the culprit used is not officially known, coincidentally that same night the school fencing was cut with bolt cutters. This is where the police believe the culprit entered the campus. Although according to McNulty no one is in custody for the crime, school resource officer Joe Herrick said that “a person was arrested in front of the school at 4 a.m. in the morning and charged with burglary as well as drug-related items.” It is still unclear whether the suspect was involved in the break in. Herrick is the primary component of day-time security at GBHS. Herrick has worked at GBHS for four years as part of his duties as a deputy sheriff. “I am here for the safety and security of all the students and staff,” Herrick said. “I’m just a visible presence and am available for anything that happens.” Although the motive behind the break-in is still undetermined, the police believe the vandal chose to break into student services as opposed to a different part of the school simply because money was visible through the window. Even more disturbing is the fact that this break-in is not the first one in the district. According to McNulty, four schools in the district have been vandalized. “All of the break-ins were similar,” McNulty said. “They were all smash-and-grab (type crimes).” Whether the same person was behind all these crime is unknown due to lack of evidence. The reaction to this crime was limited due to lack of public knowledge. However, upon learning of the event, math teacher Greg Holmes said he was shocked. “I was surprised,” Holmes said. “I don’t remember ever having an actual break in (at Granite Bay High School).” Junior Ashby Vose had a slightly different take on the event. Vose said she was amazed at the vandal’s apparent lack of criminal prose. “It’s too (dumb of a crime) to matter,” Vose said. “It just characterizes the person who did it.” Despite the lack of crime in the past, GBHS is still equipped with many security measures. “We have alarm systems throughout the school,” Herrick said. “Some rooms (also) have voice recordings if the alarms go off.” In addition the school is surrounded by 6-foot-high gates and two gated communities. These gated communities serve as the night time eyes and ears of the campus. “If they hear something, they’re going to call and report it,” Herrick said. Although the school does not generally hire security guards to patrol the campus at night, the janitorial staff is present at the school during the late evening and early morning hours. However, even when the school is entirely vacant help is never far away. “(Security guards) are stationed close by,” McNulty said. However, in high alert situations and sometimes toward the end of the year during prime senior prank season, the school has hired guards as a safety precaution. “It’s more a deterrent than anything else,” Herrick said. “Kids know they can’t come and be mischievous. They won’t take the chance of being caught.” Although generally a school of good humor, GBHS is very serious when it comes to its policy on pranks. “If the prank is very transitory (then it’s less of an issue,)” McNulty said. “If it’s something that is written, that can be deemed as vandalism which carries up to $15,000 penalty per act. Be very careful.” GBHS is not strictly emptied after hours. It is not uncommon for teachers to stay late to finish up work and, between practices and rehearsals, Granite Bay is normally used 18 hours a day “There is no limit to when students can be here as long as they’re under the guidance and supervision of a teacher,” McNulty said. Classes such as media, yearbook and journalism often remain at school long after the official closing time in order to finish up work and meet deadlines. However, the school is typically, cleared out at 10:30-11:00 when the last of the custodians go home. Punishment for students found on campus after hours is based on the circumstances. School security during the day time is just as comprehensive. “We’ve got administration, campus monitors and often times a school resource officer,” McNulty said. “We’ve got PAWS parents, too, who are the eyes and ears of the school.” The PAWS parents are traditionally equipped with cell phones which can serve as a video camera, tape recorder and a communication device, according to McNulty. The main goal of daytime security according to Herrick, is to keep the kids where they’re supposed to be. “During class time they’re suppose to be in class and during lunch they’re supposed to be in the quad area.” Herrick said. “They’re not supposed to be in the outskirts or the parking lot. The parking lot is a big concern.” Parking lot security has always been a point of debate between faculty and students. Herrick was able to clear up any misconceptions about parking lot “off campus” status and the administration’s ability to search cars. “The parking lot is a part of school campus,” Herrick said. “All vehicles are subject to search. (Even if) you park your car off school grounds, we can still search it if we have probable cause.” Overall, crime at Granite Bay has been consistently low. “We haven’t had a lot of problems,” Herrick said. “Crimes of opportunity, (such as theft) are mainly it.” Holmes considers GBHS to be a safe environment. “I’ve worked in schools that were unsafe,” Holmes said. “This isn’t one of them.” Other than locking his door at night, Holmes said he feels it’s unnecessary to take additional security measures. “I have never had problems with theft,” Holmes said. Holmes said he remembers the days when the school used access key pads as an additional measure of security. “It wasn’t very well planned,” Holmes said. “You couldn’t see the key pads and if you turned on the lights that turned on a motion sensor that set off the alarm.” The use of the key pads was discontinued after a year or two due to many “false alarms.” Holmes’ one concern with school security is the issuing of master keys to students. “We aren’t told when they’re coming and this bothers me as a teacher,” Holmes said. “I don’t lock everything up every night because I assume that locking the door should do it.” Vose, who has often been at school after hours for sports practices and deadlines, said she has never seen anything suspicious and thinks that certain aspects of security are unnecessary. “It’s a waste of money (in some ways,)” Vose said. “GBHS is safe.” *** In order to prevent future security problems, the school is now in the process of installing video cameras to “add an additional layer to existing audio and motion detectors,” McNulty said. The faculty is looking to the future and is searching for the answer to the question-”how do we protect ourselves against crime?” |