The City of Salida has completed an assessment of its current policies and procedures related to school lockouts lockdowns following an incident at Salida High School that occurred on September 23, 2021.
An independent third-party analysis of internal responses, including communication procedures, incident command structure, and standard response practices was performed at the request of the Mayor and City Council.
Mayor Dan Shore commented, “The City of Salida and the Salida Police Department is currently reviewing this report and our standard protocol responses to incidents at all Salida schools. We’re grateful that there are lessons that can be learned and new policies that can be implemented to provide our children with the safest learning experience. We look forward to working with our partners at the Salida School District on implementation of best practices and following established protocols in the future.”
The City engaged Investigative Law Group (“ILG”) of Denver, Colorado, to assess the City’s coordinated response. ILG, founded in 1995, provides sophisticated response solutions to complex workplace issues as well as swift and impartial reviews. ILG gathered all relevant information, including dispatch calls, lockout/lockdown procedures, and recorded communications. ILG has assisted in evaluating whether actions were taken within the standard response protocols established between the City of Salida and Salida Public Schools, including where and how actions may not have followed protocol.
ILG’s independent report provides suggestions on improvement in the City’s response to school incidents, including improved communication techniques, better protocols around reverse-911 implementation, and updating standard responses to meet the demands of today’s emergency response expectations. New policies on use of body cameras for law enforcement officers have already been implemented in order to provide improved transparency for the community.
The community’s safety is the City’s top priority and trust in the City organization is very important to the City Council and staff. The Mayor and City Council continue to appreciate the hard work that our officers and staff put in each day for Salidans. Attached to this release is the independent report that reviewed actions taken and reasons why certain decisions were made by law enforcement on September 23, 2021.
The City hopes that this report will help answer some questions we have received from members of our community. For any questions, please contact City Hall at 719.539.4555.
