Parents across the country are frightened at the increasing threat of school violence and shootings. Brian Ruck, the new director of safety and security at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, wants to ease their minds.
“We’ve enhanced the size of our security staff here. We’ve enhanced security to have constant patrol, constant visibility,” he said. ”We operate off of a concept of deter, detect and delay.”
Ruck has served at Paul VI for a little over a month. Already, he has developed new plans for “physical security enhancements” on school property. In addition to frequent ground patrols, Ruck plans to install additional security cameras, provide Tactical Emergency Casualty Care training, improve the schools’ radio systems, and distribute emergency response guidebooks in every classroom.
“We are delighted to welcome Brian to our PVI community,” said Paul VI Head of School Laura Swenson. “His expertise has already been invaluable to our school community. Brian is a team player and is always looking for ways in which to enhance our safety and security measures. Many in the community have commented on his professionalism and positive attitude.”
Ruck brings a wealth of expertise, with 27 years in law enforcement. He grew up in Connellsville, Pa., where he began his law enforcement career as a state constable. He began working for the Fairfax County Police Department in 1998. He went from being a patrol officer to being with the SWAT team. He was promoted to commander in 2016 and worked his way to deputy chief.
“I loved what I was doing. It was an exciting job,” he said. “I ran the active violence response program for about 19 years. So, that was teaching police officers to work with Fire and Rescue and to respond to the worst situations, active violence, active shooters in schools, and businesses.”
His career also exposed Ruck to many threats, including an active shooting. He was on the scene of the May 8, 2006, shooting at the Sully District Police Station, where an officer and detective were killed.
“I think that across the country, there is an epidemic of people that are committing acts of violence,” he said. “You want to try to intervene ahead of time.”
Ruck retired from active police duty in August, but he continues to ensure the safety of the local community. He has assisted the security team at St. Timothy Catholic School in Chantilly for the last eight years. “A lot of that was running lockdown drills and recommending different security considerations for the school. We had the vestibule built, which is the security vestibule,” he said.
Ruck has a personal interest in the safety of Paul VI students, as his son is a sophomore at the school. He also has a daughter who attends St. Timothy School. While he believes security should never be intrusive, he also wants students to feel safe.
“The kids sense it,” he said. “They’ve made some comments that they’ve noticed security is definitely enhanced.”
