At the invitation of Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin, agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Secret Service visited the Dolores School District RE-4A at the end of October to survey the security of the campus.
Agents from Denver analyzed the district’s implementation of security measures such as surveillance, door locks and other factors that contribute to the safety of Dolores students.
The agency provided a report of its findings to the sheriff and school district, and it is currently under review by the district security team. The survey and report did not cost the district any money, Nowlin said.
Nowlin told The Journal that the walk-through showed “for the most part,” safety and security in the school district is “not bad.”
“A lot of the things we are doing and have done (to keep kids safe) ... reached a very high mark,” Nowlin told The Journal on Wednesday. “We’re doing better than most.”
The Journal has not received a copy of Homeland Security’s report since parts of it contain sensitive information regarding security vulnerabilities in and around the school district, Nowlin said.
Nowlin said he is looking to have the Colorado Information Analysis Center, which worked in conjunction with Homeland Security to provide the security report, train at least one of his deputies to complete surveys similar to the one in October.
According to Nowlin, the surveys are meant for assessing “vulnerable infrastructure,” and schools are one of the top priorities for assessment.
Nowlin also said he is working to have representatives from the Colorado Department of Transportation visit the school to do a safety survey about the hillside next to the school.
He said traffic on County Road 31, which runs along the ridge north of the school campus, may be loosening large rocks and boulders that could threaten the school in the case of a landslide.
He says CDOT’s survey would provide a better idea of how serious the risk is, and what the district can do to mitigate it.
cpape@the-journal.com
