Mass Shootings Spur San Bruno School to Hire Private Security

The mass shootings in incidents across the country have spurred many schools and churches to look for new ways to increase security.

One of the most unique strategies is now in place at a private San Bruno school. An undercover private security firm is on the Church of the Highlands campus, using a strategy normally reserved for protecting corporate clients.

The school has not had any violent incidents, but leaders were concerned about what has been going on around the country and decided to boost security without making the effort obvious.

"I keep everything concealed," said Manny Sanchez, a former longtime law enforcement officer who serves as an armed, undercover agent for the Kingdom Group security firm. "Does it look like I have anything with me? No. So that's the way I try to keep it."

The schools said parents and staff are well aware of the armed agents.

"Historically it's been a touchy issue for a lot of schools," Pastor Jeff Scoch said. "And I know we debated it quite a bit, but we thought that at this point in time with what's going on in our culture, it was the prudent thing to do."

Church of the Highlands is the Kingdom Group's first school client.

"It's undercover from the standpoint of not sticking out," said James Vierra, Kingdom Group president. "But they are also part of the culture here, so they are part of the staff."

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