Sheriff and Bakersfield School host Aug. 10 conference about school safety

Bakersfield School, in conjunction with the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department, is holding an all-day conference Friday, Aug. 10, featuring author and TV personality Phil Chalmers. The conference, to be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., will cover school safety and proactive measures, homicide and mass murder crime scenes, youth culture and current trends. It is designed as a training program for school faculty members and law enforcement officers, but Bakersfield superintendent Amy Britt said she expects there will also be room for members of the public, especially those who work with juveniles. She asks, however, that members of the public call the school at 284-7333 to sign up for the program. There is no admission fee, she said, but a head count is needed to assure enough seating is available.

Chalmers will discuss causes, warning signs and triggers of teen killers and school shooters; dangerous youth culture, violent video games, social media and phone apps; gangs, cults and crime prevention; school safety, home safety and personal safety.

He is the author of several books, including Inside the Mind of a Teen Killer and True Lies. He’s been researching homicide and interviewing offenders for 30 years. His work has been featured on dozens of television shows and networks, including A&E’s “Killer Kids” and Fox’s “Crime Watch Daily.” He has interviewed more than 200 killers face to face, including teen killers, school shooters, mass murderers and serial killers. 

Chalmers and his wife, Wendi, a former Missouri high school principal, now live  in Florida and travel around the country conducting live seminars for law enforcement and child advocacy groups, schools and law agencies. For more information about Chalmers, visit PhilChalmers.com.

Britt warns that the program “is very intense training, and it is not an enjoyable presentation but one that is meant to provide information to law enforcement and educational personnel to help kids and to keep schools safe.”