BEAUMONT — The school shooting in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day was a tragedy no community wants to experience. Consequently, a justice of the peace and a constable are taking some steps to make sure such a tragedy is less likely in their precinct.

Bobby Adams, Jefferson County Precinct 7 constable, said he and Brad Burnett, Precinct 7 justice of the peace, hosted a workshop after the Parkland incident to be proactive.

Adams said they do security work all the time, but they can also install devices and hold training sessions. They’ve also partnered with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and some local businesses.

Some of the things they’ve come up with after brainstorming with other school districts are placing door lockers over hinges, securing front doors and classroom doors. Adams said some of the ideas are cost effective as well.

“We want to keep kids and teachers safe,” he said. “For the first meeting we had excellent turnout. We’ll meet every couple of months. Other agencies may enter a school and not be familiar with the school’s layout, but the hallways can be numbered or alphabetized. It’s a map where you need to be and alleviate people getting lost.”

The first workshop was with various community leaders to discuss talking points and fundraising opportunities for safety items for local schools.

“With the most recent mass casualty at a Florida school, the goal is to be proactive and help deter an event of that type happening here,” according to a press release from Adams. “Our vision of the program is 17 Hearts, to honor the seventeen student and teacher lives lost in Florida and to work together as a community to provide necessary safety tools for our students and teachers.”