Student tipsters on Comstock shooting can stay anonymous
COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — After a shooting last month in the parking lot of Comstock High School, the district is asking students to speak up and plans to use a new app to help them report tips.
Comstock Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Thoenes said students sharing what they know is critical to the security and safety of the school.
“To ensure we have a clear understanding of events, school officials are still seeking information about what happened in December. Students need to know that administrators are allowed to keep names of students who report dangerous behavior confidential or secret,” Thoenes wrote in a letter to students and staff.
Comstock HS holds 1st home game with new safety measures since shooting
On Dec. 12, more than 30 gunshots were fired in the parking lot of Comstock High School while both a basketball game and concert were happening on campus. No one was hurt. Four guns were used, according to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s office.
In the letter, Thoenes released more details about the shooting.
“Initially, two unidentified individuals fired at four individuals as they exited the high school’s gym as the four walked past the entrance to the Colt Center,” he wrote.
One of the four was a student at Comstock and will not be returning to the school, according to Thoenes.
“Almost immediately thereafter, two other unidentified individuals who were standing near the visitors’ bleachers as part of a group of five fired at the first pair of shooters. … Both groups of shooters immediately departed in opposite directions,” he wrote.
After the shooting, the school was locked down and the district initiated its crisis response protocols. Investigators who questioned students said they say gave “little to no useable information.”
“Unfortunately, it was clear to the detectives at that time that the students questioned knew more than they were revealing,” Thoenes wrote.
Sheriff: 30 gunshots fired at Comstock HS, no injuries
The district is still urging students to step forward with any information they might have about the Dec. 12 shooting or other dangerous activities. To make that process easier, Comstock plans to use an app called Relay 12, which aims to make it easy to report. All school staff will be notified immediately when a report is made through the app.
The whole shooting was “fully recorded” on security cameras, which were installed in 2022, and handed over to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office for investigation, the superintendent said. He added that the cameras will continue to be used, as well as two-way communication systems at the school’s main entrance and a security consulting firm, Codentity, which specializes in school safety.
As implemented days after the shooting, the district is restricting guests of athletic games to only immediate family members of Colt athletes and district staff. Deputies from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office will also be at all home events. If they are not available, a private security company will be on duty.
Additionally, Comstock Public Schools hopes to receive more than $400,000 in funding from the Michigan Department of Education for mental health and safety initiatives. This would fund mental health programming, weapons detection systems and door sensors, Thoenes wrote in the letter.
EXPERT ON HOW TO INCREASE SECURITY
Patrick Fiel is the President of PVF Security Consultation LLC. During his career, he’s traveled across the country, evaluating thousands of schools and their security measurements. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of Safety for Washington D.C. Public Schools.
According to Fiel, this past season there were over 20 school shootings at local football games across the country. Basketball games are no different.
“I do see a lot of gaps and a lot of weak spots,” said Fiel, in reference to school security. What I try to do is get out in front of everybody and say, ‘Hey, some of this is preventable. You know, we shouldn’t have to take action after the fact.”
To help increase security, Fiel said districts should consider moving games to the daytime, authorities should maintain vigilance inside and outside of the gym before, during and after games. He also said districts should try and bran loitering and watch for suspicious vehicles.
“Unfortunately, when you have open schools and you have sporting events in open schools and all that, you’re going to get everybody and their brother,” he said. “So, you don’t know who these individuals are, so this is one of the main reasons you should have additional security.”
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