Security officers must always be prepared and well equipped to handle an emergency, such as a shooting or violent incident on campus. Security staff must be trained to respond effectively, to evacuate affected areas and to notify staff and local authorities.
When voters in the Longview Independent School District (ISD) in east Texas approved a $266.8 million bond issue in 2008, it paved the way for construction of seven new elementary schools, three new middle schools and a complete renovation of Longview High School. Recognizing the critical need for a secure environment for students, staff and school visitors, the bond also provided funding for a new, district-wide video surveillance system.
With the overall greater focus on school security accelerated by a number of tragic headlines in the past few years, parents are looking to school districts for assurance that appropriate steps are being taken to keep children safe.
The university's recently accredited police force spurred on the school's board of trustees to unanimously vote to allow the campus officers to carry firearms.
Colorado’s Miami-Yoder School District has integrated its access control, intrusion and surveillance to secure the district’s new 91,000-square-foot facility in Rush, Colo. This integrated solution allows school officials to control entry to the building’s multiple entrances and access surveillance video footage of incidents as they unfold.