Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School faced the 17th occurrence of gun violence in an American school in 2018 alone on February 14.

As the threat of school shootings increases in America, the cruciality of the roles of campus police officers does the same.

Officer David Dunkerton, one of NC’s campus two police officers, dedicates his days to serving his community. Dunkerton, an officer since 1982, served in the United States military for 6 years, spent 26 years with the Cobb County Police department, and currently serves his fourth school year with the Cobb County School District Police Department.

Dunkerton does his best to combat this rising threat and ensure the safety of NC by thoroughly investigating each threat that the school receives, living by the idea that even the most loosely stated threats against another person’s safety should undergo serious consideration.

“We take all of them [the threats] seriously, and we will investigate all of them. One month we may not have any, the next month we may have four or five, but we take any of those, whether it’s a threat student to student, student to staff, staff to student, or a student to the general population, or to the entire school. If they said, ‘I’m coming in tomorrow and I’m going to shoot up the school,’ it’s not a joke to us. We will look into every one of those types of incidences,” Dunkerson said.

The response to threats against the safety of people in schools depends on the nature of the threat.

“Our response [to threats] has had to evolve over the years because of the type of threats and the types of incidents that are occurring. All of that is much different than it was fifteen years ago, ten years ago. You’re seeing it have to continue to change because of the incidents that are occurring,” Dunkerton said.

The tragic shooting that occurred at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, 1999 devastated the nation and changed law enforcement’s reaction to active shooters.

Prior to the massacre, standard protocol would require local first responders to wait for a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.

“The law enforcement community’s normal response was to set up a perimeter and wait for SWAT, those with special weapons and special training, to handle it,” Dunkerton said.

Because of the seriousness of the situation, first responders no longer wait to take action.   

“Now, if a situation happens, especially the way the departments communicate with each other, we will put response teams immediately. We like to have three to four officers before we actually enter the building, but because of the way things are set up now with officers assigned to the building, the first responders here at this building would be the two of us. My initial response is going to the threat and taking care of the issue. That is my job whether it is at this building, any other district building, or any other location within the county,” Dunkerton said.

Officer Dunkerton maintains surety of his capabilities to protect those who entrust their safety to him, and while he admits his limitations, he remains confident in the abilities of both himself and his partner, Officer Perry Dulworth, who is stationed in the Freshman Academy.

“I am 100% prepared to do what I’ve got to do and beyond. Would it be 100% successful in meaning that there would be no casualties, that there would be no serious injuries? I couldn’t guarantee that— Only because of the variables that would fall into place,” Dunkerton said.

Officer Dunkerton leaves the people of NC with wise words, reminding them that kindness may best prevent chaos in school and that ultimately, students hold the main stake in their own safety.

“As students, be kind to one another. If you go back and look at a lot of incidents that have occurred, bullying is in that person’s past somewhere along the line. Be supportive of one another, and if you see something or you hear something that doesn’t make you feel comfortable, if it makes you be concerned for your safety or someone else’s, whether it’s that person or anyone else in general, say something. If you have to keep saying it, then keep saying it,” Dunkerton said.

Michayla Cherichel