Riverside-Brookfield High School Superintendent Kevin Skinkis on Monday said administrators will likely increase the number of security staff members who work on weekends and limit access points to the school on nights and weekends.
The changes come in response to the arrest of Lawrence E. Adamczyk, who was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct for reportedly cruising the school on Saturday morning looking for young boys to have sex with.
“We’re working on a plan right now where the main entrance will be the only entrance open on nights and weekends,” said Skinkis. “I think it’s important to channel everyone through one entrance and exit.”
The school’s main entrance is at the northwest corner of the school along Golf Road, about a block north of Ridgewood Road.
But that’s not the entrance Adamczyk used to gain entry to the building. He entered through a door facing Ridgewood Road, close to First Avenue. It was the first door, Adamczyk would have encountered walking west along Ridgewood Road. The door is commonly used by athletes, particularly swimmers, at night and on weekends due to its proximity to the pool area, where Adamczyk was eventually arrested.
It’s not unusual for multiple entrances to be open on weekends because the school is used by so many groups. Adamczyk was initially spotted by a school security staffer monitoring a detention classroom.
Just a day earlier, Riverside-Brookfield High School held an intruder drill involving four police departments. According to Skinkis, the drill was “realistic” in that a police officer wearing a vest bearing the word “intruder” gained access to the school through a side entrance. Teachers were required to respond to the situation.
“It was a detailed training exercise,” said Skinkis.
The woman who confronted Adamczyk and called 911 was an important part of that intruder drill, said Skinkis, who said the preparation paid off.
“She was a major part of that drill,” Skinkis said. “I really believe that’s why she acted as swiftly as she did.”
