"Everybody has to step up," police very visible at some Massachusetts schools after Texas shooting
TEWKSBURY - Some schools districts in Massachusetts increased security Wednesday, a day after the horrific shooting at an elementary school in Texas.
Police cruisers were parked in front of John F. Ryan elementary school in Tewskbury. An officer stood alongside staff members by the entrance as students stepped off their buses and walked inside for the day.
"Our schools are a sacred place. Our kids are sacred. We just want to make sure that the parents feel safe sending their kids off to school," Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus told WBZ-TV. "Everybody saw what happened yesterday in Texas. Certainly, it's traumatic for everybody, even if it's far away."
Barnstable Police also took similar steps at schools in town.
"Obviously people want to target children because they're a vulnerable population. A lot of them can't defend themselves, they're not old enough to do anything. We have to be there, not just the police, all of our other partners, the fire department, everybody else," said Barnstable Police Chief Matthew Sonnabend.
He told WBZ officers weren't just at schools to protect, but to talk with anyone who had questions or concerns.
"You're going to get questions from kids, you're going to get questions from parents. We address the questions as they come in. We try not to sugar coat things too much. Obviously when you're speaking with a child you want to have it age appropriate," Chief Sonnabend said.
"It takes a community. it's not just the police, it's everybody. If somebody sees something or they hear something or something is posted on social media, they've got to let us know, because I would say that more often than not, in these cases, there were signs, there was something that was said, there was something that was posted, so we need to know this information in every community. Everybody has to step up," Chief Columbus told WBZ.
Tewskbury will likely keep an increased police presence at schools until the end of the academic year next month.