Meet the interviewee

As the school year picks up, so have instances of violent crime or threats of violence in Houston-area schools, making some parents wary of sending their children to campus.

In the past month, local school leaders have locked down multiple campuses due to threats circulating on social media. The FBI’s Houston office reported it received more hoax threats against schools in September than any month in the past three years. 

The trend mirrors state data showing some types of disciplinary incidents, including drug-related offenses and gun violations, have nearly doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels. 

Despite these high-profile incidents, Alief ISD Police Chief Dan Turner wants parents to know his team is prepared for the worst, even as its approach to policing evolves with the times. 

Turner joined Alief over 30 years ago and has led the department for 16 years. Turner’s children attended school in Alief, and he said he initially joined the department “to bring it into the 20th century.” (It was previously in the 19th century, he said.) 

Over the years, Turner has seen the department shift toward a greater emphasis on mental health support, community service and crime prevention in lieu of cut-and-dry enforcement. In some cases, that might look like trying to catch signs of misbehavior early before it escalates.

“We do more than write tickets and arrest people these days,” Turner said.

Last month, a high school student in Alief had been caught waving a kitchen knife around in the hallway. As schools around Houston and around the nation deal with incidents and threats of violence at the start of the school year, how are you as a department reacting to these threats?

Well, unfortunately, these threats are occurring, and they’re occurring all over the state. So therefore, not only Alief ISD is having to deal with it, other police entities and other school districts are having to deal with it. So we tell our kids and staff that, ‘If you see something, say something.’ 

We are responding to each and every threat as if it is an actual threat, until our investigation proves that it is not a natural threat. After police come in and conduct their investigation, it doesn’t stop with us. The campus moves forward, and they are having discussions with their students and staff concerning these social media threats. We’re trying to get everybody to understand: Don’t be a part of the threat, because it is illegal. If we investigate these threats and find out that you’re a part, we will ask the district attorney to file charges.

According to state disciplinary data, there’s been a rise in certain violent crimes, particularly firearm and handgun violations, in Texas schools post-pandemic. Have you observed a broader trend of increased violence or threats of violence in Alief schools?

No, because we are proactive in these situations. We didn’t wait until the threats began to start to be proactive against the threats and the violence that can happen in school, and we have some proactive actions in place on each one of our campuses to address these threats prior to and during. We didn’t wait on having to come together to determine how to handle these threats. We already had systems in place to deal with threats and violence prior to the situation that’s occurring now.

Tell me more about some of these crime prevention initiatives you have in Alief.

Well, not to give away all our trade secrets … but we increased the number of police officers on campuses, we did a lot of training to prepare the officers and the staff to “See Something, Say Something,” and we increased locking devices on our campuses. We increased the number of cameras. We added panic buttons to the staff, to the buildings, and we do a lot more intervention when it comes to security, as far as metal detectors and walk-throughs for the students and staff.

What should students, teachers and parents be aware of when it comes to crime and crime prevention in schools?

Well, they need to pay attention and be aware of their surroundings. And as parents, you really need to be involved in your kids’ life so that you are aware of what’s going on in society. You need to have discussions with your kids to let them know that you are there for them, that if they need anything, they can talk to you. If not, come to school then, let’s talk to a counselor, an administrator or a police officer. We want the kids to see something, say something, and be proactive as a citizen.

How would you reassure parents who are concerned about their child’s safety at school?

Well, I would tell them to come to school. If you want to have a tour, come to school, we’ll give you a tour, and we will discuss safety and what we have in place on that particular campus for your child that you are concerned about. We also know that parents could have kids on two or three different campuses because of different grade levels, so we want them to see that we have a general product that is in place on all campuses so that we don’t miss anything. Parents need to understand that we’re here. The administrators are here, the police officers are here, counselors. We have a lot in place to have parents and a staff when that situation is needed.

What are some signs that parents should look out for in their child, if they’re concerned about them falling down the wrong path or engaging in activities that they shouldn’t?

Well, they need to pay attention to their mode of dress, what your kids wear, the signs of change in their daily lives, the way they speak, the terminology that they use as far as having a conversation. Because if your kid is using terms that you’re not aware of and you can’t understand that, then I suggest that you look into that and do some corrections with that. If you don’t understand as a parent, come to school. We will talk to that parent and have that parent decipher what is going on in their kid’s life. 

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