HOWELL – Shortly after news broke that more than 15 people had been shot and killed by a gunman who entered a high school in Parkland, Fla., on the afternoon of Feb. 14, Howell Police Chief Andrew Kudrick sought to reassure residents police are doing all they can to ensure the safety of Howell’s students and educators in the community’s schools.
Kudrick said that “not only as the police chief, but as a parent, my heart hurts. Sadly though, we see this too often. I can absolutely state, with the utmost certainty, the relationship and partnership between our police department and (the Howell K-8 School District and the Freehold Regional High School District) is one that is highly committed to protecting our children and staff.
“We have security measures in place that include a uniformed presence inside our schools, visible patrols both stationary and random, regular drills, direct radio contact with school administration and central police communication, both technical and tactical equipment and advanced weapons assigned to our officers, and frequent contact between the Howell superintendent of schools, the Howell Board of Education president, the Howell High School principal and my staff.”
The chief said that beginning Feb. 15, residents will “notice an increased police presence around all of our district schools. Other measures will be taken that will not be disclosed.
“All of you can be reassured, we constantly are reviewing and implementing security measures to prevent such a tragedy. However, we cannot do it by ourselves. This must be a collaborative effort among all of us. In most cases, there were warning signs. Social media seems to be the most apparent,” Kudrick said.