Child psychiatrist says metal detectors make kids feel safer

By Travis Akin

SPRINGFIELD – A prominent Illinois child psychiatrist believes that metal detectors installed at schools, sporting events, colleges, hospitals and courthouses will help children learn, reduce trauma and make them feel safer.

The Safe Spaces in Public Places Act legislation (House Bill 191), sponsored by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, requires metal detectors at all Illinois schools, major school sporting events, colleges, hospitals and courthouses.

Dr. James MacKenzie, Chicago child and adolescent psychiatrist and former president of the Illinois Psychiatric Society, said he plans to testify in support of House Bill 191.

“By having metal detectors and security equipment in schools, we are actually protecting our children, college students and all young people in public places,” MacKenzie said. “Many – if not most – of my patients are worried about violence at schools. This legislation is a simple precaution that will make our kids feel safer, making it easier for them to learn.”

MacKenzie said a new study released in November from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University Surgery Center found that 75,000 teenagers suffered a firearm-related injury between 2006 and 2014 and the annual cost of gun violence for our youth in America totaled $2.8 billion per year.

Also, MacKenzie cited another study released in November from the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study found that youths that experienced childhood trauma were 1.3 times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders as adults than those who did not experience trauma, and 1.2 times more likely to develop depression or substance abuse disorders.

Youth with a history of trauma are also more likely to experience health problems, participate in risky behavior, struggle financially, and have violent relationships or problems making friends. And the study found the more childhood trauma a person experienced, the more likely they were to have those problems in adulthood, MacKenzie said.

Governor Pritzker’s transition team on education also has raised attention about childhood trauma. The governor’s transition report for his Educational Success transition team recommends “that schools are equipped to meet the needs of students who have experienced trauma or have other mental health needs.”

The transition report says, “Insufficient recognition, acknowledgement, and support for students who have experienced trauma or have other mental health needs affects the climate and culture of a school. The new administration should support efforts to expand training on trauma-informed practices for all school personnel.”

“The time is now for Illinois to make our public places safer spaces and this legislation is a great first start,” Doctor MacKenzie said.