Op-Ed
Safer Schools and Communities Start with Cooperation
By Representatives Danny Nadeau (R-Rogers), Andrew Myers (R-Tonka Bay), and Ben Bakeberg (R-Jordan)
Reducing suicide and gun violence is repeatedly derailed by opposing party ideologies. Each side is absolutely convinced its preferred solution is the only answer, continuously resulting in an ever-hardening stalemate.
But step back from the hardlines and a clearer truth emerges; prevention is not a single policy or idea, it’s a system. And the places seeing real progress do not rely on one solution; they are building coordinated and layered approaches that identify risk early, intervene quickly, and connect the right people at the right time.
One side wants to assure you the only answer is banning guns. The other believes the solution is hardening schools. Both are convinced they’re right, but if we are serious about preventing tragedies and saving lives, we should focus less on political stalemates, more on getting to yes and scaling what’s already working.
Take the example of focused deterrence strategies like Ceasefire in Baltimore. These efforts bring together law enforcement, community leaders, and service providers to identify individuals at the highest risk of committing or being victims of violence. The approach is straightforward: communicate clear consequences for continued violence, while simultaneously offering real support through job training, counseling, and pathways out. It’s not theoretical. Variations of this model have contributed to meaningful reductions in violence when implemented with consistency and accountability and can work in Minnesota.
But intervention cannot start after a crime is imminent. It must begin much earlier.
That’s where anonymous reporting systems play a critical role. Students, teachers, coworkers, and neighbors often see warning signs before a crisis unfolds. The challenge has always been giving them a safe, trusted way to speak up. States that have implemented tip lines integrated with schools and law enforcement have prevented planned acts of violence and connected individuals in distress with help before they harm themselves or others and programs like the one at St. Francis Schools show it works. These systems work best when they are well-publicized, easy to use, and backed by trained professionals who can assess and act on the information quickly.
Equally important is the work happening behind the scenes in fusion centers. These centers are designed to bring together information from local, state, and federal partners to identify patterns and emerging threats. When properly resourced and focused, they can connect dots that no single agency can see on its own by linking behavioral concerns, prior incidents, social media threats, and community reports into a fuller picture. That kind of coordination is essential, especially in cases where individuals interact with multiple systems before a crisis.
Early detection must also be institutionalized through behavioral threat assessment teams. Schools, workplaces, and communities need structured processes to evaluate concerning and threatening behavior, not to punish, but to intervene. Research consistently shows that individuals who carry out acts of violence often exhibit warning signs in advance. The question is whether there is an effective system in place to recognize and properly respond. Multidisciplinary teams that bring together educators, mental health professionals, and law enforcement, can assess risk, develop intervention plans, and monitor behavior over time. This is prevention at its most practical.
In schools, this work should be embedded within comprehensive school safety plans that go beyond drills and physical security. Effective plans integrate mental health resources, clear reporting pathways, and coordination with local law enforcement. They create an environment where students feel safe reporting concerns and where trained adults are equipped to respond thoughtfully and consistently.
Finally, none of this works without leadership, facilitation and coordination at the state level. That’s why more states are establishing an Office of Violence Prevention within their public safety agencies. These offices serve as a central hub that aligns data, funding, and strategy across departments that too often operate in silos. They help ensure that local efforts are supported, that best practices are shared, and that outcomes are measured. Most importantly, they create accountability for results. Minnesota already has an Office of Drug Policy and Violence Prevention. If we make some intentional adjustments and create the necessary connections to the Department of Health and Education, this office can become a nation leader in preventing violence and supporting victims.
The common thread across all these efforts is cooperation. Law enforcement cannot do this alone. Schools cannot do this alone. Neither can community organizations or public health professionals. But when these groups are connected, when they’re aligned and information flows, when roles are clear, and when intervention is timely, the system starts to work the way it should.
We need to be honest; there is no way to eliminate all risk. But we can do far better at recognizing it, reducing it, and responding to it before lives are lost.
That means investing in tools that empower people to speak up. It means building systems that connect information instead of fragmenting it. And it means committing to early, coordinated intervention, not as a reaction to tragedy, but as a sustained strategy to prevent it. And for the legislature, it means setting aside rigid demands, working together and moving forward with systems that prevent violence.
If we focus on that, we move beyond stalemates and toward something far more important, results. As co-chairs of the Suburban Solutions Caucus, we developed the Safer Communities Together Initiative to move the state forward, and we urge our colleagues in both chambers to support it. Minnesotans expect results, and together we can provide real, meaningful solutions.
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