Michigan school security expert says recent changes saved lives in Georgia mass shooting

Michigan security expert said changes made at Georgia school likely saved lives

Their company provides risk assements to schools, staffs retired police officers, and provides training to students and staff.

FOX 2 (WJBK) - "In this country, we run the risk of normalizing massacres in our schools," said Dr. Miguel Cardona. "We have to do more."

The US Secretary of Education was at FOX 2 studios a day after the school shooting in rural Georgia.

"It's not just our schools," Cardona said. "We need to do more to make sure 14-year-olds don't have access to assault weapons."

The alleged shooter, 14-year-old Colt Gray – got the murder weapon as a Christmas present from his dad last year. Eerily similar to what happened with the 2022 Oxford High School shooter.

"We know that these things don't happen spontaneously, right? There's usually lots of warning signs," said Brian Bastianelli.

Bastianelli is a retired police officer who started his school and corporate security company Fortis Group, after seeing the need following the shooting in Oxford.

Their company provides risk assessments to schools, staffs retired police officers, and provides training to students and staff.

He said the best thing you can do to keep kids safe, is to have active, or retired law enforcement in every school.

"Having somebody there every day that knows every nook and cranny of that building, who's doing a constant physical vulnerability assessment every day, as they walk around," said Bastianelli.

He commended the new security system put in place weeks before the shooting at Appalachee High School in Georgia.

Teachers there were equipped with alarms on their badges. When repeatedly pushed, they trigger lockdown warnings on TVs in the school, and immediately alert police.

"The panic alarm system they just installed definitely saved lives," he said. "In these situations, these critical incidents, seconds count."

Once those alarms are activated – students immediately lock doors and barricade themselves in classrooms with desks and chairs.

"We're trying to buy time until somebody with the proper training and tools can respond," Bastianelli said.

He said they often advise schools to upgrade security cameras, add weapons detection systems, and install those school-wide alarms.

"Some of the new technology out there is much softer, much easier, and the technology just keeps getting better," he said. "So it's not as obtrusive."