Park Dist. to re-examine security measures after Newtown tragedy
By David Sharos For The Sun December 20, 2012 12:56PM
Updated: January 22, 2013 6:26AM
In the wake of the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last week, the Naperville Park District is looking to work with city officials to examine security issues at district facilities.
Park District Executive Director Ray McGury said he has been receiving a number of calls since the shooting last week regarding questions about safety at local facilities and what parents can tell their children.
The Park District has posted a notice on its website where McGury acknowledged concerns and said that there will be ongoing efforts to review “safe practices.”
“We have always taken security at our facilities seriously even before anything like the Sandy Hook incident happened,” McGury said. “I suppose I’ve been getting a number of calls based on my former career as police chief in Bolingbrook. I’m not an expert in terms of what to say to children, but we want people to know they can use our facilities and be sure we have taken every precaution we can to provide a safe recreational environment.”
McGury said that in many ways, “Naperville is a lot like Newtown, Conn.” and that while no contingency plans are perfect, “we want to be sure there are no gaps or things we’ve overlooked in our procedures.”
“I’ve reached out to people I know in the police department here as well as various city officials, and we’re waiting to hear back from a few people about when we can get together and review our policies,” McGury said.
“Sometimes you need someone from the outside to look at what you’re doing and see things from a different perspective.”
